How to Book Campsites in Torres del Paine: A Step-by-Step Guide | Chile

Posted on April 10, 2017

You may expect the O Circuit to be tough, but perhaps more unexpectedly arduous is actually booking campsites in Torres del Paine. When it comes to making reservations across three websites, factoring in sporadic availability and a whole lot of outdated information, even your Lonely Planet can’t save you.

Have you found booking your campsites for Torres del Paine is a real pain in the ass? Below you’ll find everything you need to know (along with a 2017-2018 update from Erratic Rock) about 2017 regulations for Torres del Paine National Park, suggested trekking routes, and information on how to book campsites in Torres del Paine.

What changed in 2016?

As of October 15, 2016, Torres del Paine is making it very hard to show up and improvise. So what’s changed? You can read the full PDF in Spanish here, or I’ve summarized it below:

It’s mandatory to have advance reservations for all the campsites along the W Trek and the O Circuit. Printed vouchers may be required at designated checkpoints on the trail.

The O Circuit can only be traveled counterclockwise.

The Las Carretas – Paine Grande Trail is closed in high season.

It is now prohibited to camp at Las Carretas camp.

The Laguna Amarga – Serón trail is closed.

Map + Campsites in Torres del Paine

There are three different agencies (CONAF, Vertice, Fantástico Sur) that offer campsites and shelters in Torres del Paine National Park. The campsites you need to reserve will depend on your route and budget.

You can either wait and book your campsites in person in Puerto Natales (very limited availability) or book online, alternating between corresponding websites.

How to Book Campsites for Torres del Paine

Updates from September 2018

CONAF campsites for 2018-2019 are now available for booking! To book your campsites, go to the CONAF Reservation System and create your account. Once you’re logged in, click on the “Inicio” drop-down and select “Comprar”. After you’ve filled in your personal details to pay for your entrance, you’ll be prompted to “Reservar Servicios”. Then click the “Selecionar Servicios” and tick the radio button for the dates that you want each campsite. If you don’t see all your campsites, go back to “Inicio” and select “Ver Disponibilidad” to check the availability of the sites during your trip.

I’ll be honest that this process still seems completely complicated. The site is only available in Spanish, so tick on your Google Translate plugin if you’re not comfortable navigating in Spanish.

Step 1: Choose your Trek

There are three main trekking routes in Torres del Paine: The W Trek, The O Circuit, and the Q Circuit. Each of the routes will take you in on a path the shape of the indicated letter. The W Trek is the shortest at 3-5 days, the O Circuit is meant to be trekked in 6-10, and the Q Circuit can be accomplished in 7-11 days. Most treks will begin at Paine Grande or Las Torres and travel counterclockwise. Here’s a post on trekking routes in Torres del Paine if you want some inspiration!

Step 2: Plan your Route

Once you’ve decided between the routes, you’ll need to pick the campsites you wish to stay in along the way. The sites you choose will be impacted by your budget, preferred trekking times, and campsite availability. Check out our post on which campsites to book depending on your route.

Step 3: Check Availability

Before making your bookings, you’ll need to check that almost every campsite on your route is available for your dates. Once you have a start date in mind, make an Excel sheet with the dates you’d stay in each campsite. You’ll need to visit the fantasticosur, Vertice Patagonia, and CONAF websites separately to check availability. If one date is unavailable, consider checking availability for nearby campsites. If you’re running into problems, try the whole itinerary with a different start date. Tip: The best way to see the sunrise at the Torres del Paine is to camp at the free CONAF site – “Torres” – one hour from the viewpoint. This is the most popular campsite in the park, so I’d recommend checking availability for this site first and planning your trip backward. (UPDATE JULY 2017: Campamiento Torres isn’t accepting reservations for 2018-2019. Instead, you can either splurge on a night at Chileno or wake up extra early to see the sunrise from Central)

Step 4: Make your Reservations

It is most economical to start your reservations with the free campsites in Torres del Paine on CONAF (you can cancel if needed). Next, book your campsites along the W Trek as these are the most likely to fill up first. Finally, head over to fantasticosur and Vertice Patagonia to finalize your reservations. To ensure you don’t get stuck with an incomplete itinerary, it is important to make all of your reservations on the same day. Note: If one or two of your preferred campsites are booked, you may consider leaving holes in your itinerary, and trying daily for new spots to open up. Once you arrive in Puerto Natales, you can inquire in person. If you’re traveling in low season, there is constantly new availability.

Step 5: Check ’em!

After making reservations across three different websites, you’ll want to double check that you didn’t make any mistakes on dates or campsites. You can easily cancel and rebook on the CONAF site, and you will need to message fantasticosur and Vertice Patagonia directly to make changes to your reservation.

Step 6: Print and Get Ready

Print a paper copy of all your reservations to carry with you on your trek. You’ll need to show proof of reservation to get past some of the checkpoints in the park. Now that you’ve got your dates locked in, you can start planning the trek itself!

… no campsites available?

The reservation process was a bit of a disaster for the 2016-2017 season. Reservations were mandatory, but I met plenty of people traveling without them. There are two main checkpoints along the O Circuit: Guardaria Coirón where they require proof of booking for Dickson or Los Perros and Guardaria Los Perros where you must show a reservation for Paso or Gray.

Listen. The restrictions were put in place to protect the park, so we recommend making an honest effort. We met people sneaking onto the campsites in Torres del Paine without problems, but we think the best course of action is this: if your preferred sites are booked, try back every day until your trek starts. If you’ve still got gaps in your itinerary, try to make reservations along the way by asking campsites or checkpoints to call ahead. Last resort is arriving at your campsite around dark and being apologetic about it. The rangers may roll their eyes, but they won’t usually send you on your way to become puma fare after sunset.

Where to Stay in Puerto Natales

Need a place to stay the night before your trek? Here are some of the best hotels in Puerto Natales.

The Singing Lamb | The Singing Lamb is the best-rated hostel in Puerto Natales thanks to their helpful staff and clean rooms. The place is quite simple but spacious common areas and its location just five blocks from the bus station makes this one the go-to for many people trekking in Torres del Paine. Double rooms start from €51.

Hotel Simple Patagonia | While the name might not have you expecting much, the Hotel Simple Patagonia is one of the more luxurious accommodations in Puerto Natales. The property is a full 4km from the bus station, but sleek architecture and floor to ceiling windows (with views of the Ultima Esperanza Sound) easily make up for it. Double rooms from $158.

Refugio Hoshken | The best part of Refugio Hoshken is it’s inexplicable ability to draw cool people together. The rooms themselves are quite basic, but the vibe is right in the shared kitchen and common areas. The staff is super friendly and they’ll even let you leave your stuff in storage while you undertake your trek! Dorms from $14.

For information on how to get to Torres del Paine, the best time to visit, and a comparison on the W Trek vs the O Circuit, read THE OTHER W TREK: THE O CIRCUIT

Hey Paul! Torres is often the first to sell out, but I believe it’s also closed through winter months. Are you looking for dates in November? If I were in your position, I’d consider making a backup reservation at Central Torres with fantasticosur, checking the CONAF site daily, and worst case, simply waiting until you get to Puerto Natales for an in-person booking. Please let me know how it goes!

Troy

September 7, 2017 at 4:03 pm

I have received an email acknowledging that I requested campsites through Vertice but after two days have not heard from the “sales” team to confirm we have sites and to make a payment. What is normal to expect in this process to aid in trip planning. I have sent two emails back asking for an update and to get final confirmation. Any advice is appreciated.

Also, I am going in Dec 10th and could use advice of what to do upon arrival from Puerto Natales. Is it wise to start the first leg and get to Seron or is there a good place that might be available to camp that night for an early departure the next morning.

Hey Troy! Most people have had the same problem You can either send over your card details via email (which I wouldn’t love to do) or follow up a few times (Spanish can help!) and wait on them to get back in touch. It’s kind of a painful waiting game, but at least you know they’re not replying to anyone and giving up your spaces!

As for your arrival to Puerto Natales: Buses from Puerto Natales to Torres del Paine (2 hours) depart daily at 7:00am and 2:30pm. You’ll likely need to wait to arrive unless you get into Puerto Natales early. If you do wind up on the afternoon bus, the trek to Seron is easy but 4-5 hours and you’d be pushing it to finish before dark. I’d recommend grabbing a campsite or hostel in Puerto Natales (there are plenty) and heading off early the next morning. Good luck and let me know if you have any other questions!

Chris

September 10, 2017 at 8:52 pm

Same situation here! Been waiting for Vertice to get back to us for two weeks now, and that’s holding us from booking for Fantasticosur sites. Not great!

Ryan

September 11, 2017 at 6:42 pm

Hey Chris,

I was also waiting for Vertice for a couple of weeks then I finally just called them at +56 61 241 5693. They had someone that could speak in English on the phone to me and I had everything confirmed via email within a couple hours of that phone call.

Christian

September 18, 2017 at 5:11 pm

Hey Ryan!

Thanks for the extra advice. I ended up calling vertice (two hours one day without success then got the line right away next morning ) and they were really nice and my reservations were completed and paid for by the evening.
Fantasticosur went through immediately online so that wasn’t a problem.
We are now all set to do the W 🙂

Thanks again!

Eryn

September 20, 2017 at 10:24 pm

I have tried calling so many times too! I didn’t book our Fantastic Sur spots because we were waiting to book it all at once and now there aren’t any left but the really expensive ones! I will call first thing in the morning tomorrow. Fingers crossed!

ALICE

October 1, 2017 at 6:19 pm

Hi, Thank you for all the info. One question, its written that the Laguna Amarga to Seron trail is closed this season, but you are talking about doing it anyway if I well understand ?

Hi Alice. I haven’t seen any updates, but I don’t believe it’s possible to hike Laguna Amarga to Seron trail this season.

Alice

October 9, 2017 at 1:41 pm

Hi, thank you for your answer, so if I want to do the O starting in laguna amarga in the direction of Seron, I have to go through Torres ?

Ashley

November 4, 2017 at 2:36 pm

Hello! Question about reservations with Vertice… I have had no luck locating the page on their site to reserve campsites. They seem to imply that I must now reserve via email. I have been sending them emails and trying to call them this week with no luck. Any help/suggestions? I have already booked the Fantástico Sur campsites for my friend and I do to the W at the start of December but I still need to book Paines Grandes… then I plan to carry on with the O by myself but, since Vertice owns that side of the park, it has been a painful waiting game.

Lindsey

November 6, 2017 at 8:16 pm

Hi everyone! I’m hoping you can provide an update on when you ended up hearing back from Vertice (if at all). A friend and I reached out to Vertice today in hopes of staying early-December but we are worried with all of the comments above that we won’t hear back in a timely manner to book the Fantastico Sur lodgings. I’m wondering if anyone has a WhatsApp number for Vertice, or if someone was able to get in touch with the company another way. We are specifically looking to book Refugio Grey and Refugio Paine Grande through Vertice. Thanks in advance!!

Troy

November 30, 2017 at 3:12 am

Taylor, thanks for the note. Since my post is took roughly a month to hear back from them for booking the campsites but they did finally get back to me. My trip is next week so I think I am set on the itinerary. I am learning that patience and persistence is the key. I speak no Spanish so that slight barrier does make it a bit challenging but not impossible.

I appreciate your advice and look forward to this incredible adventure. Happy hiking!!

Stephen

Hi Stephen. I just checked the TdP website, and I’m afraid Torres is closed for the whole season. Hard to say exactly why! Your option is either to stay at Chileno (a bit pricey) or the Torres camp owned by Fantastico Sur (requires an early wakeup). Bummer that it’s closed –
I hope it opens back up again next season! > http://www.parquetorresdelpaine.cl/es/sistema-de-reserva-de-campamentos-1

Phil

October 16, 2017 at 4:49 pm

Hi at all,

we got almost the same problems everybody has. just two questions: is it possible to walk the w-trek the other way round? i managed to book camp central at the first night, then camp frances for the following night. what i need know is my booking confirmation for camp paine grade and camp grey for the last two nights. i ll try to call again later. there is just a strange beep right now. the other question is: if i didnt get camp paine grande and camp grey, we thought about booking a second night at camp frances, just walk up to mirador britanico and get back later. and then for the last night, just walk to camp grey without reservation. do you think its possible to just be very sorry for have no reservation and just pay double or something? thanks for answering!! we are kind of desperate, as we already booked our flights from germany… (Date for the Trek should be 17-21 November)

To answer your first question: Yes! It is possible to hike the W-Trek in reverse. As for reservations, I understand all the camps have a one night limit. Unlike the O, there were no checkpoints for campsites along the W portion of the trail (aka they won’t stop you from walking onward). That being said, you typically do need a reservation to stay the night and they’ll give you some sort of tent tag at some of the camps to indicate it. I’d recommend popping into the offices when you get to Puerto Natales and I’d expect you’ll be able to have a reservation before starting the trek. Good luck!

Phil

October 17, 2017 at 9:22 am

Hi Taylor, thanks for the fast reply! there is no one night limit for the fantasticosur camps – i tried to book the second night in frances and it worked. so we got our first three nights safe… we will just try as you said. get to puerto natales and try to book at the vertice office… this blog really is great by the way. 🙂

Brian Zimmerman

November 20, 2017 at 4:52 am

Vertice has been horrible replying to me too. I am in the same boat. Is popping into the offices a viable option? I am looking to do the same as the reservation system has been a mess. I can pay on site as I would hate to “sneak in”

Hey Kate. I checked on FantasticoSur today and it looks like their booking engine is undergoing a revamp. Unfortunately, your only choice for now is to email them at ventas3@fantasticosur.com. Hope this helps!

Claire

June 6, 2017 at 11:49 am

Hey! I love this post, I’ve been struggling to find decent information and this is the best resource! One thing I wondered, is that you mention equipment rental at sites is not possible for the O trek, yet when I checked out the Suggested Route: Serón > Dickson > Los Perros > Gray > Paine Grande > Frances > Torres, they all mention rental. I’d love to know why you mentioned you couldn’t rent equipment on the O trek as I wouldn’t want to get there and it be an issue if I didn’t take my own.

Andy Fine

June 8, 2017 at 7:34 pm

I haven’t had any luck booking anything with Vertice. No matter what date I choose, it shows the sites as “vendido”. I can’t believe they are all actually sold out. I have emailed them with no response. Any suggestions on what I should do? Thanks.

Hi Andy! I emailed Vertice and FantasticoSur a couple of weeks back. I never heard back from Vertice, but FantasticoSur said that 2017-2018 availability would come available the end of May. My guess is that Vertice hasn’t made the switch between seasons yet, but that it should be coming soon. When are you planning your trip?

Andy Fine

June 9, 2017 at 1:07 pm

I’m planning on being at Torres del Paine starting November 17. Hiking the O route. I also had the same issue as Paul, can’t seem to reserve Camp Torres. The Conaf website only allows you to book sites so far in advance. Once you get past early December it says the dates are too far in advance. So I’m not convinced that the Torres campsite is sold out, because it doesn’t show up on any possible date. Thanks for your blog, I appreciate the information trying to figure this out.

Hi there! I am not sure what other information I hope to gain because you all have already provided so much, but I am struggling with Vertice reservations. My flights are booked and I hope to complete the O Trek December 24-January 1. FantasticoSur responded promptly and was easy to book. Sadly, I still haven’t received a response from Vertice – even after my initial online booking request and 3 follow up emails. I emailed Erratic Rock also on the off-chance they have insight. Nothing. Any suggestions or tips? Also, as my timeframe is somewhat crunched, are you familiar with a direct transfer from Punta Arenas airport to Erratic Rock? Thank you so much for your blog and insight!

Hi Cara. It sounds like everyone is struggling with Vertice. Someone above mentioned they got a faster reply by emailing in Spanish — perhaps you can give that a try? As for the transportation, you can easily take transport from the airport in Punta Arenas straight to Puerto Natales. As the town is tiny, you’ll get dropped maybe a 15 minute walk from the Erratic Rock office? From Puerto Natales to Torres del Paine, busses depart daily at 7:00am and 2:30pm so you’ll want to plan ahead for this. Good luck!

Vaclav Dekanovsky

October 13, 2017 at 6:25 am

Hello, I can just add that I struggle with Vertice. I emailed them many times, used their form online (which works just for some camps), I tried to call, but even when I someone picket up the phone (usually 10 or more tries on both numbers) then the call ended in few second with ‘Can you hear me?’ (I’m calling from Europe). I tried their facebook, twitter, yesterday I even send a postcard and I have contacted CONAF in the region if they can help me. So far no luck, but I don’t give up. Fingers crossed to everyone and thanks for news.

Haas

June 8, 2017 at 11:32 pm

Hi there, I just left a comment on another post actually, because I ran into the same problem as Andy F. I looked for campsites on Vertice today for October and Novemeber, and everything came up as sold out. I really want to do the W this fall, and just about fell out of my chair thinking perhaps everything was already booked up this far in advance. I’m supposing that isn’t the case quite yet, but in your experience, how soon should we be booking for those months?

Hey, Jaz! I just reached out to Vertice again via email. My guess is that Vertice hasn’t updated their availability for the next season yet, as FantasticoSur just released dates at the end of May. I’ll update the information here if I hear back from them. Good luck and thanks for taking the time to comment!

Julia

June 16, 2017 at 2:10 am

Hi there, has anyone had luck with booking through Vertice or FantasticSur yet? I’m pretty flexible with dates over November/December but having the same issues with everything appearing as sold out for Vertice. Has anyone had any luck booking with FantasticoSur via email, given their online booking system is still not up and running?

Hey Julia! I just got an update from one of the gear rental shops in town. I’ve added a note to the end of the post if you’d like to check out the most current information. I emailed both FantasticoSur and Vertice this month and got a reply (albeit slow). Good luck!

Hannah

July 3, 2017 at 11:57 pm

Hi Tom,
Now that is is July, I am trying to book camping spots on the W circuit. I am unable to access the reservation pages for the reasons everyone has stated above. Have you had any luck with the start of July?

Daniel Johnson

July 8, 2017 at 10:28 am

What dates did you get with Vertice Claire? We have sent them multiple emails over the last couple of months trying to get space in their refugios in mid Nov and we finally got a response this morning saying that they are fully booked on the dates we wanted. If this is the case for November I can’t imagine what Dec/Jan/Feb would be like!

Wow, really, Daniel? I’m surprised to hear November is already sold out. Have you looked into doing the trek in reverse? Another pretty trusty strategy is to check back. There’s enough time between now and November that I’d expect cancellations. Good luck!

Maggie

July 11, 2017 at 6:46 pm

Hi all, just seeing this thread which is helpful as I’m getting a “sold out” or grayed out dates for Vertice and FantasticoSur, respectively. I spoke to someone over the phone at Vertice today and it sounds like they haven’t yet released dates for late December (when we’ll be there), however, I haven’t been able to contact anyone at FantasticoSur. Is anyone traveling around the same time? If so, have we missed the boat for reservations?

Hi Maggie. I’m certain there are still sites available during that time, but the website isn’t updated. I’ve sent 4-5 emails just to get 1 back, so perhaps contact them a few more times and see what you can get? Good luck!

Maryse

Maggie

July 18, 2017 at 1:22 pm

Hi Maryse,

Thanks for letting me know. Do you mind sharing the email that responded to you? Did you book individual nights or some king of package? They seem keen to sell me expensive tours at the moment but I can’t book individual nights on my own.

Maryse

July 18, 2017 at 4:57 pm

Hi Maggie,

I booked two individual nights for the camping with rental of a tent and camping gear. I sent them an email with the specific nights and campsites I wanted (dec 20-21th) and what gear I needed. They back on July 12th with a detailed bill and booking conditions. Once I agreed, they sent me the paiment link.

Christophe

Hi everybody, We also planed to do the W treck in october. I have contacted directly CONAF for explanations regarding the Camp Torres. Here is the answer… Not Good ^^

Dear Christophe,

Along with greeting, we thank you for contacting us to express your inquiry.

In this regard we can inform you the following:

The reservation system for high season (October-April) is already operational (http://www.parquetorresdelpaine.cl/es/system-of-reserve-of-campamentos-1) but reservations can only be made 6 months in advance (more than 180 days in advance, will not allow you to book) so that at this moment it is possible that you reserve for the months of October, November and December, as the days elapse you will be able to access the following months. For the next season the Torres Camp will be closed, only the Paso and Italiano Camps, which are the free CONAF sites, will be enabled.

Services in concessioned and private areas must be reserved directly by users in the respective companies, as depending on your itinerary on the trails, you may have to book more than one camp.

The suggestion is to be attentive to what is reported on the official website of the park http://www.parquetorresdelpaine.cl / Daily Report, in relation to the operation of tourism services, states of roads and trails and requirements for mountain circuits. On the same page you will find the information necessary to plan your trip in a better way: rates, access, what to do, downloadable map with distances and times of travel of trails, etc.

If you have any questions, do not hesitate to contact us again. Hoping to cooperate with your concern, greet you.

Hi Christophe. Thanks for sharing this update! I’m disappointed to hear that Torres is closed – definitely one of the highlights of the trip for me. In this case, you’ll either need to shell out the cash for Chileno, or camp at Central and wake up 3-4 hours early to get to TdP in time for sunrise. Hope your booking goes smoothly, and I’m looking forward to hearing about your trek!

Paul

July 24, 2017 at 4:19 am

Fantastico Sur is open for reservations. E-mail ventas3@fantasticosur.com & they’ll send you a PDF and word doc to fill out. Pretty janky process. They said they’re backed up with 500 unread emails so might take a bit to hear back.

They don’t provide prices without room and board. I guess you could ask for a separate list of prices but I didn’t want to risk it selling out…

Another update! I got final confirmations with both Fantasticosur and Vertice last week, Fantasticosur tend to get back if you send multiple emails… I got an email last week basically saying that they needed confirmation that anyone who had emailed before still needed to book, so it’s worth another message.

Also, for anyone who doesn’t want to carry equipment, you absolutely can rent camping equipment the whole way around.

Mel

July 27, 2017 at 1:18 am

Hi,

Just wondering if anything is experiencing the same issues at the moment? I’m trying to book camping reservations for the O circuit in February 2018. I am having trouble booking with Fantastico Sur and getting any response from them. It seems they have opened up there reservations on the website, but I can’t seem to work it out. Has anyone had any difficulties booking Camp Chileno as Camp Torres is closed? When I try to book it is not even an option on the reservations page. Also, they seem to only have the option of booking Camping at Seron, and if you want to book at Frances there is no camping option and it says you must book ‘Platformus Premium’ which is 160 US per night for 2 people.

Andy Fine

July 27, 2017 at 2:03 pm

Mel,

After several emails to Fantastico Sur, they emailed me back a word doc form to fill out for reservations. I filled it out and actually got a reservation confirmation from them. I would try to get that form because their website definitely isn’t fully fixed. For whatever reason ($$$) they force you to buy the Platformus Premium for Frances and El Chileno. Definitely more money than what I was hoping to spend but with Camp Torres closed there isn’t a good alternative…

I also got the same response from Vertice as Ryan did. Hopefully their website becomes available for reservations soon, not sure how much longer I can handle the uncertainty lol. Best of luck everyone.

Mel

July 27, 2017 at 10:26 pm

Hey Andy,
Thanks for getting back to me. I just got the same emails from both Vertice and Fantastico Sur as you and Ryan did. Very frustrating about the cost but looks that there is no other option!
Just wondering how did you pay for the reservation? Or are you paying later. I can’t see any area on the form to put down credit card details etc.
Thanks again,
Mel

Mel

Liz

August 1, 2017 at 1:52 pm

Hi Andy, Did you have the get the premium platformas when you booked with them through e-mail? The Premium Platformus for the Chileno site show that they’re already sold out for when I was looking to go in November. I was hoping to just reserve a campsite space.

Andy

August 2, 2017 at 1:23 pm

Liz, I did reserve the Premium Platformus for El Chileno when I booked with them over email. Sorry to hear they are already sold out… From what I can tell they don’t allow you to reserve just a campsite.

G

July 29, 2017 at 6:46 pm

I’ve been having the same issues, within the last week fantasticosur updated the site but still no just regular campsite reservations. Previously no dates for after november 2017 were selectable and I think only had some refugios options

for vertice pantagonia reservations (e.g. perros, paine grande, not available in their website) they also had just responded to my email they are updating their site too, and their site still displays they are to be updating

“Dear, regarding your request.

I inform you that the website will be operational in a few days, so you can make your reservations online

Mel

August 2, 2017 at 1:54 pm

Liz it seems they only offer Chileno Platform Premium sites when you receive the booking form from Fantastico Sur, or look on the website, and you cannot just book camping sites. You can only book full board as well and the prices are sky high. Interestingly on the emailed booking form, you can book a campsite at Seron, but on the website it only allows you to pay for the expensive Platform Premium option. The website also only allows you to pay in USD rather than CLP which is an option on the booking form. You’re a lot worse off if you pay in USD it seems. I have not been successful in Fantastico getting back to me about my booking form despite me mailing it to them last week. I’m still having no luck with Vertice either. Bit of a nightmare really!

Ryan

August 2, 2017 at 10:45 pm

Hey Mel, I just finally heard back from fantastico sur about my order this morning about a week after I submitted it. I sent them a couple of follow up emails to check in on it. Not sure if that helped move things along or not.

G

I also have had no luck with vertice, but yea the email they sent today fantasticosur says chileno and cuernos are only full board (I confirmed my reservations with fantasticosur)

I wasn’t trying to stay at those sites; their rate pdf they email with their word form for campsite reservations for torre central but they only accept reservations for plataforma premium (or the other options). Be ready to spend some $$$, as even just a campsite at seron is $20 USD

Also if anyone needs to google, Bus Sur goes from the punta arenas airport (PUQ) to puerto natales and you can book that online, some sites seem to suggest the bus fernandez or bus sur aren’t at the airport.

Thanks once again for such an insightful post! According to my own research, it appears that booking on refugio campsite grounds allows you access to their showers, kitchen, and bathrooms. My questions for you are:
1) How on earth did you do laundry while touring? Did you have time to do laundry at all?
2) I am planning to bring a GoPro and Phone for pictures and video… how often were you able to charge your equipment on the O and/or W circuit?
3) Can you rent daily tent equipment from some of the more desolate campsites on the O Trek or do you have to bring your own equipment?

Danijel

August 10, 2017 at 7:58 pm

Hi everyone. We are in the same shoes with my girlfriend, banging my head against crappy websites, emails without responses, random rules and terrible official communication … I am loosing my nerves to the point I want to skip Torres altogether. Is it worth to play the game of a bunch of exploiting local companies and incompetent governance that obviously care more about the money than their guests. This truly saddens me.

We want to do the O circle starting 30th of September. This is what we know so far:
– Serron is closed until 1st Octobre, Fantastico Sur stating that it is then impossible to camp there. Not sure, but I think that people are doing O circuit even in low-season, so they must camp somewhere. Does anyone have any info on this?
– Vertice opens their camps on 15th of September, the website says that reservations should be done online.
– After two emails with reservations within two weeks, still no response from Vertice. Will call them in the next days.
– There are supposedly 2 checkpoints on the O circuit where they check your bookings; there are 3 checkpoints “guarderias” on the O circuit.
– Fantastico Sur only sells Full Board (breakfast, lunch, dinner) on “platforms” in Chileno and Cuernos for 120.000 CLP. This is beyond ridiculous.
– This year CONAF has closed the Torres camp, so for the sunrise view of Torres it is only possible to sleep over in Chileno (with inclusive full-board) or in Central. But this is very far away, making it nearly impossible to see the sunrise — or even sunset at Torres except for those who can spend 120.000 CLP.

It seems to me that all this got so complicated and misinformed also due to local guides offering the same tours we are looking into for a couple of thousands USD, which they wouldn’t get if people would be doing this themselves. Very sad.

This all got me so very angry I am thinking either to skip this broken paradise or just not reserve a single camp anymore, go there and hassle.

Jodi

August 12, 2017 at 4:14 am

I booked Fantastico through their website without any issue, and got a confirmation through Vertice. But Vertice said I need to pay withing 48hrs, but didn’t tell me how (of course I emailed them asking, but they’re slow to respond and I don’t want to lose my tent sites). Anyone know how to pay? They mentioned WebPay, but I’m not sure what that is.
Thanks.

Andy

August 16, 2017 at 8:00 pm

Jodi, I’m having the same issue. I got a reservation confirmation from Vertice but they don’t explain how to pay. And of course they don’t respond to email, even though they expect payment within 48 hours. I just passed 48 hours and don’t know what to do. Did you figure anything out from them? Thanks.

Hi Jodi! I am curious approximately how long it took Vertice to respond to your inquiry. I heard back from Fantastico right away. I am on week 4 of no response from Vertice. I submitted the only request for reservation and received the confirmation in my email. Yet, I ‘ve heard nothing since, even after multiple follow up emails from me. My flights are booked and I plan to be there December 24-January 1, so the lack of confirmation is making me nervous! Thank you!

Jess

August 15, 2017 at 2:48 pm

Hi there, thanks for this great guide! I was wondering, is it necessary to book the double platforms when booking for two people (sharing one tent), or can you just book the single platform? These websites are terribly confusing.

Sten

Hi Sten, Michaela, and Jess. I checked with Erratic Rock and they confirmed that single platform is still for a two person tent. The only bit I’m still confused about is board if you’re staying at one of the camps where meals are included. Did you figure it out yet?

Nathan Putnam

November 25, 2017 at 11:39 pm

I have the same question! It is very confusing. Choice 1 = Single platform + fullboard ( FOR ONE PERSON). Choice 2 = Double platform + Fullboard ( FOR TWO PEOPLE). Then you have to choose QTY. I am thinking Choice 1 and then QTY 2 for two people sharing a tent. Can anyone confirm this is correct? Thanks!

Hey Nathan, sorry for the delay! I checked with Erratic Rock and they confirmed that single platform is still for a two person tent. Which campsite are you looking at? I’m still a bit unsure at sites that are supposed to include board.

Nathan Putnam

December 3, 2017 at 3:02 pm

Hi Taylor,
Thanks for the reply and for all this great info. I quickly bookmarked the site when we started planning. My guess is that Fantastico is not going to care whether it’s single platform with two people or double platform and one tent–considering it costs the same price! Also interesting about Perros to Paine Grande. We face the same challenge because Vertice is impossible to book and clearly Grey is full-up. Current plan is actually to take the Hotel Lago Grey boat from Grey to extract at the end of the trip, rather than keep walking down from Grey.

Elise

August 15, 2017 at 6:08 pm

Is it true that the O circuit is not open until November? Vertice told me they did not take bookings until then but I’m not clear on what that means – if it’s actually closed, or if I just don’t need to make a reservation.

Hi Elise. I’ve done some research and found that it’s only possible to book the O Circuit during the winter months with a certified guide. Are you planning to go on your own or were you expecting to do a tour?

Andy

August 17, 2017 at 3:43 pm

Well this nightmare appears to be over for me. Just wanted to pass along the results I had.

Vertice: After completing the online reservation form, they sent me a confirmation email that showed the details of reservation, and instructions indicating you need to pay with webpay within 48 hours. Three days later, I received another email with a link that connected me to webpay where I was able to pay for the sites online. That gave me the final confirmation.

Fantastico Sur: I reserved this through email, but it looks like their website is now working. I got screwed into paying full board for El Chileno, but I want to see the Torres at sunrise and with Camp Torres closed it was really the only option.

CONAF: I still only have the “temporary” reservations from them, they said they will be getting back to us with actual confirmations. I don’t have any expectation of when this will actually happen.

Best of luck everyone, I still can’t believe it took me 4 months of emailing to deal with all this BS. But confident it will be worth it.

David

August 22, 2017 at 11:55 am

Thanks for the great post, Taylor. I’ve found more useful information in this post than I have from emailing and visiting the website for Fantistico Sur and Vertice Patagonia over the past 3 months. Trying to get any useful information from them has been so frustrating, so much so that I’ve been considering abondoning my plans to visit Torres del Paine all together!

I have a couple of follow up questions I hoped you might be able to answer. I’m planning to do the W trek over 4 nights/5 days in mid February but I’m unsure how far in advance I’ll need to book. Do you have any idea how long I should give it? I appreciate this will depend on which campsites I’m looking to stay at. In short, my plan is to be at Vertice Grey on the first night and Paine Grande on the second – it looks like I can book these through Vertice Patagonia at the moment.

I originally wanted to stay at Los Cuernos on the 3rd night. However, after contacting Fantistico Sur, they informed me they only offer full board options ( no cooking facilities) and prices are started from $113. As an alternative, I’m looking at staying at camp Italiano, am I right in thinking they aren’t taking bookings at the moment?

As for the last night, my original plan was to stay at campamento torres, but as i can see through your post and comments, this isn’t available. The only feasible alternative i seem to be able to find is staying at Refugio Torre Norte (fantistico Sur) at the cost of $90 a night. Far from ideal but I want to be able to see the sunrise. Would this work as an alternative?

Hi David. That’s pretty high praise – I’m really glad you’ve found it useful! Stick it out, and I swear the trek will be worth it. To answer your questions:
* The W Trek doesn’t have the same restrictions in place as the O Circuit. While you’ll need to book well in advance for the refugios, there are hundreds of campsites and I don’t think they’ve limited the daily visitors yet. I’d say go ahead and make your reservations whenever you’re certain on your dates!
* I just took a look, and CONAF will allow you to book for Italiano in February now.
* I’m so disappointed that Torres is closed this season! Torres Central is the most popular backup camping option, and a site will only cost you $16. You’ll be able to see sunrise with a 4 hour head start.
Let me know if you have any other questions, and good luck with your trip.

David H

November 17, 2017 at 10:32 am

Thanks for the response, Taylor. Again, I’m close to giving up arranging campsites to do the W trek. I’ve emailed both Fantistico Sur and Vertice Grey several times over the past month with no response. I’m now considering just being based in Puerto Natales and doing a couple of day treks in the park. Is this something you have any experience of? From what I’ve read, I know you can do a trek to the towers in about 7-8 hours (roundtrip), but I’m unsure if you’ll be able to take in other treks such as the French Valley. Thanks.

Hi David. If you decide not to do the full W, have you considered staying for a few nights at Torres Central? The park is a bit far to do repeat day trips, but the hikes are doable in a day! If you take the catamaran to the Paine Grande, and start at 10am, you’ll be to Italiano within 2.5 hours. In another 1 hour, you’ll hit the first mirador, and another hour is the second. I think the last catamaran is around 6pm so you should be able to do that in a day if you’re feeling fit!

Stephen

August 22, 2017 at 1:25 pm

Hey Taylor! I emailed both Vertice and Fantasticour about reservations for the O trek January ’18 a few days ago. How long does it typically take them to respond regarding reservations? Our group wants to hold off on purchasing a flight to Chile until we’ve nailed down our dates. Your blog has been so helpful! Really appreciate it.

Hi Stephen, so glad you’ve found the post helpful! To be honest, it varies. I’ve written and heard back within a day, and I’ve written to never hear back. I’d recommend following up in 2 days if you haven’t heard back. Let me know how it goes!

Mel

August 24, 2017 at 2:47 am

Just an update. I received my confirmation finally from Vertice but it took them almost a week to actually give me the details of how to Web Pay. I did send them a reminder email at about 72 hours so that may help. Fantastico Sur seems to be running smoothly through the website, however I noticed there website only allows you to pay for the Platform Premium option at Seron, where as on their list of rates they have a cheaper camping option at Seron. For this reason we paid via the website for Chileno, and then emailed them for a booking form for Seron and sent it back via email. Was a bit more tedious but I was so frustrated at there money grabbing tactics with Chileno that I stubbornly did it through email.
Still waiting for the official email confirmations for CONAF and not sure how long that it will take but appears we have temporary reservations for Feb.
For those trying to do O circuit in Sept/early Oct, we had initially planned our trip for early October this year but had to postpone as it appeared we were unable to do O circuit as the camps weren’t open without a guide. The W circuit was a possibility at that time but they couldn’t guarantee until around July which was to late for us.
Best of luck everyone, sure it will be worth it!

Stephen

August 25, 2017 at 1:32 am

Mel – Thanks for the update/letting me know. I’m planning to hike the O trek with a group of friends in January. I ended up going back to the fantasticour site and was able to make reservations at what appeared to be a cheaper Seron option (Camping Seron Sitio Suelo) which came out to roughly $21 a person. The other sites I’m trying to make reservations at Cuernos (or Frances) and Torres but it appears they only have domos or premium platform options. Curious if they’re doing a similar money grabbing technique with these sites….I’ve already made my reservations on the CONAF site and received confirmation back relatively quick.

Mel/Taylor – I still have not heard back from VP which is making me kind of nervous. I’ve sent follow up emails to both Fantasicour and VP, wondering if I should call them directly?

nick jones

August 26, 2017 at 9:51 am

im going in november have tried to book paine grande and the grey site through verticepatagonia. they sent and email confirming it and that i must pay within 48 hours otherwise i lose the booking. but in the email they dont tell you how to pay give you no link to go to and i have trawled their website for days and cannot find out how to pay. its so frustrating!! thinking of giving up now. can’t believe how hard they make it for you too book! can anyone help on how i can pay them so i can reserve my booking??

Hi Nick! I never got so far with Vertice, but Fantastico Sur asked me to send them my Card Number and Expiry Date via email – not ideal! Another option might be to pay via Bank Transfer – did they include any attachments in your email?

kristin s

August 28, 2017 at 7:27 pm

Hello!

First, thank you for such a helpful blog! This has been one of the BEST sources of information about camping in TDP.

I wanted to pass along some information. It looks like you can book the free campsite through the CONAF website ~6 months in advance. We just booked a campsite for late February and did not have to wait until October to do so.

Also, if anyone has any tips of receiving the payment information from Vertice that would be greatly appreciated. It appears that we all are having a similar issue with only receiving the initial confirmation email.

Hi Kristin. I’m so glad you found the post useful! I remember the campsites being kind of a nightmare to book. Thanks for the tip about the CONAF sites! As for Vertice, the comments have been pretty active on this post. Perhaps check back in a few days and see if anyone has had luck? If you hear back, feel free to note it here. Appreciate your comment and best of luck!

Jason Barton

August 29, 2017 at 11:01 am

Hi all,

Currently going through the same struggles that everyone else appears to be going through in regards to Vertice. Received a confirmation e-mail 10 days ago, instructing me to provide them with some general details so that they could then send a link to pay via WebPay…I am yet to receive a link still. Have sent several follow up e-mails to them to try and get some traction but it hasn’t helped. Does anyone know why it takes so long for them to process the bookings?

I am going to try and call them tonight and will keep this post updated with progress. Good luck everyone! Good things take time 🙂

Hi Jason! Sorry that it’s been such a long wait! If you email them your card details I’m sure you’d get a faster booking, but that’s never ideal. The reservation requirements were just introduced in 2016, so I think that Vertice, CONAF, and Fantastico Sur haven’t scaled up quick enough to accommodate the influx of advance bookings. In general, the “why” may become apparent after you spend a bit of time in Chile —
things will happen when they happen. I think you’re right to follow up, and they’ll get back with you soon enough! Good luck with your booking.

Jason Barton

September 4, 2017 at 9:26 pm

Hi Taylor!

That makes sense. After having no luck with getting a reply from e-mails written in English, I had a Colombian friend draft up an e-mail in Spanish which I then sent off – I got a reply in the next day or so…not sure if that’s a coincidence but worth a try for other struggling out there who are worried about not being able to fully “confirm” the booking 🙂

Cara Walker

Alison Roberts

September 3, 2017 at 3:18 pm

Hi Taylor. Great advice. Quick question. We (2) intend to do the W trek in mid October 2017. Do you think it will be ok to book in person when we arrive in Puerto Natales as its so early in the season??
Many thanks

Hi Alison. Is there any reason you’d prefer to wait rather than doing it online? I also went in a shoulder season (late March) and found that most things were still sold out well in advance. The W Trek has a lot more availability than the O Circuit, but in recent years, the demand has far exceeded the availability. If you CAN, I’d say book ahead, but if you need to wait, there’s always a chance that you can grab things locally.

Alison Roberts

Alison Roberts

September 18, 2017 at 3:53 pm

Hi again Taylor
More help needed please.
I am trying to book W trek. CONAF web site just keeps coming up Unavailable, any other way to contact them. And I am trying to book a camping spot at Chileno but the price keeps coming up as $194 us, for 2 of us Full board. (Ridiculous) We only want a camp spot as we are carrying all our own gear. Is this possible?
Many thanks again
Alison

Sam

September 8, 2017 at 4:44 pm

Called vertice after waiting 8 business days. The lady said she can’t help and they have to process via email. She kept saying they have 7 business days so they still have time to respond. I told her it’s been 10 days so we were clear. Anyway, I feel stuck. Can I just pitch a tent anywhere?

Hey Sam. Wouldn’t that be nice? The park is very strict about only camping in designated spots and they’ve begun cracking down on presenting reservations throughout to prove you have bookings. Don’t give up! If you bother them enough, they’ll get back to you eventually!

Sam

September 11, 2017 at 2:11 am

Eh, we are fully booked with tickets, campsites, etc. – except for Vertice Patagonia. What exactly does cracking down mean and what’s the penalty? At this point we’re going to the park with or without a reservation there…

Stephen

September 8, 2017 at 10:15 pm

Very helpful post Taylor.
I am doing the O circuit in January 2018. Same problems as others. Patagonia Sur and CONAF were easy to book online. I switched out Torres for Chileno because of the Torres closure. Vertice Patagonia was harder to book. I made the reservation request online. Received the e-mail saying that their sales department would be in touch soon. Radio silence. I sent e-mails. Crickets. Called a jillion times. No pick up. Phone line would drop. Used the Rebtel app. Called with the app and they picked up on about the 13th try. Not sure if Rebtel made a difference or not but it was free to try so it didn’t hurt. Spoke to a very nice woman. She found my original reservation request. Said someone would be in touch with me later that day to confirm if the dates were available. Someone did e-mail me to confirm. They requested some payment details, which I responded with, and the next day I got the weblink for payment which worked smoothly. No more stress.

Glad to hear your booking saga finally came to an end, Stephen! It sounds to me like Vertice hasn’t yet scaled up their operation to accommodate the new regulations from 2016 and are struggling to keep up. Good luck on your trek!

Cara Walker

September 11, 2017 at 6:43 pm

I’m also going for December/January. I’ve had a very similar experience. Finally spoke with a woman at Vertice last Wednesday and received the same assurance that an email would be forthcoming. Sadly, no email as of yet and I’ve been trying to call again today. The good bit is that the women with whom I’ve spoken at Vertice have been super nice and helpful with my lame Spanish!

Céline

September 14, 2017 at 3:33 pm

Hi Stephen,

We are now undergoing the same stress you did 🙂 We are heading over to Patagonia the beginning of December. We were able to book the campsites on Patagonia Sur and CONAF but are still waiting on a respons of Vertice Patagonia.
I tried calling several times but nog answer… my Spanish is okay (so I can manage) but I never heard of the Rebtel app. So I just downloaded it. Can you explain me how it works? or which phone number you called?

Joshua

September 11, 2017 at 3:37 pm

Thanks for the useful blog, I found the information here more useful and up to date than that of any of the internet sites of the park managers. I am in Puerto Natales at the moment (11/09/17), I had been trying to book the w for for six months with no luck, so I gave up and decided to wait until I was here. The situation as of the moment is:
Paine grande (vértice) is open and plenty of availability at the moment (6mil for camping) and there is a boat everyday at around 11am from pudeta (11mil)
Camping grey (vértice) isn’t open until October and they have availability for October (not sure how much)
Italiano (conaf) is open and fully booked for all of September
Frances (fantástico) not open until October (lots of availability)
Cuernos (fantástico) open on the 20th of September with availability
Central (fantástico) open now and plenty of space, but no camping here only full board Refugio 60,000 pesos
And las Torres (conaf) closed for the season.

ThIs process has been a huge pain in the ass, hopefully in the future the three administrators will get their shit together, work together, with sole agencies to offer an easy booking system. But for now we have to work with what we can. Good luck people, I hope others trying to navigate this mess in the low season have better luck than I did!

Liang

September 14, 2017 at 5:39 pm

I had the same experience as everyone else. Both Fantastico Sur and Vertice don’t reply to emails. The process to book online at Fantastico Sur was smooth, but don’t expect replies to emails. Vertice didn’t respond after I submitted booking request online, no response to my email reminders either. So I started calling after one week. On the 3rd call which is one week after the first call, they finally confirmed availability on the phone and sent me the payment link through email. You have to hold them to check availability while you are on the phone. If they say they’ll check and reply later in the day, it most likely won’t happen. But I have to say every lady who picked up my call was very nice. I found calling in the afternoon was easier to get through.

André Baumgarten

October 2, 2017 at 9:41 pm

Nope, sadly these prices are right. God damn cutthroats. Only possible “budget” alternative is camping at Torres Central, skipping Chileno. There you can find camp sites without platform and full board. It is still 4.5 hrs away from the Torres del Paine, but if you are not in the need of seeing the sunrise there or if you are keen to start extra early in the night, then this is the only alternative to stay “low cost”, even that a simple camp site at central costs you 21 USD.
My “low cost” split for the O:

Hi Laura. I’m so glad you found it helpful! If the schedules haven’t changed, the Puerto Natales to El Calafate bus only leaves at 7:30am and the earliest bus from Torres del Paine to Puerto Natales is at 2pm. We ended up hitchhiking the route, so if you’re not too tired after your trek, that might be an option!

Cara

September 21, 2017 at 7:33 pm

I am really at wits end with the booking process. My original Vertice request was submitted on August 14 (for which I received a confirmation email). Since then I have sent 26 follow up emails, 2 of which were in Spanish (no hyperbole), and called the two different numbers 45 times over the course of the past 2 weeks (again, no exaggeration here). Two weeks ago I was able to speak with someone who was very helpful and nice and spoke amazing English. Unfortunately, two weeks ago this woman told me that she would send me an email for the payment by the next day. Two weeks later I have still not received anything. I’m all booked with Fantastico and have all of my flights booked and paid for. I decided to go back online and start the reservation request process over (something I’ve tried to avoid so as to avoid confusion). Now though I only see Paine and Grey as options for locations. Now I am a bit panicked that sites have already booked. Does anyone have any insight? I am usually not a huge planner when traveling but this obviously requires it. Is anyone aware of companies who will accept a fee to book? Any help will be appreciated!

Jen

October 2, 2017 at 7:59 pm

Hi! Going through the same thing. I have everything booked with Fantastico Sur, flights, etc., but nada with Vertice. However, I finally got a response last week by sending a message through their Facebook profile:

“Hi, Jennifer, We have a very high demand of request that´s why we are taking about 2 weeks to answer. I will give your information to the sales team, in order to send you this week a confirmation of your request. Please don´t send any other mail or request because that is one of the reason why we have a delay, people have sent more than one and we have thousand of them. Thanks for your patience .”

Yep. I’m supposed to do the W Trek November 12 – 17, so just over a month away. I have no idea what to do at this point.

André Baumgarten

October 2, 2017 at 8:51 pm

Hola Cara,

I share the same destiny as your. I did the booking just 1.5 weeks ago from now and since then wrote a few emails and started calling them last week without success (prob. 50 and more attempts) . I called via my Skype Account, on which I have credit, but either the connection could not be established, or it broke down, or it ringed but no one picked up or the line was busy.
I am already in Chile and today I tried it with an cellphone of a Chilean friend. After another 20 call trials I finally came through and a woman spoke to me. Long story short, I told her I sent a reservation 1.5 weeks ago, spelled my name and then she said she would write back and I ran out of credit, call ended, so calling back wasn’t a success after topping up. But, I couldn’t believe it, a mail appeared with request of a few details and later the payment email arrived.

How does it help you? For Los Perros and Paso there isn’t an online reservation. I send them a mail that I need them as well. But if you get through them on phone, mention you want to do the circular grande, and you want these campsites as well.
Maybe it exists an app for cellphones with which you can call free to landline phones in Chile. Skype isn’t a good alternative, even that it costs just a few cents. Hm, probably you just can keep on trying. :-/

Cara Walker

October 3, 2017 at 2:31 am

Hola Andre! Thank you for your message! I had very good luck on Friday and received an email from Vertice after I also spoke with someone on The phone on Thursday. The woman said that they have been running almost 2
Weeks behind, even though it’s clearly a bit more than that. 🙂 I rushed to make my payment and now with my confirmation I am confident I will be able to enjoy the amazing Circuit Trek at Christmas! I am very happy to hear that you also have had luck!! Thank you again!

Daisy

October 4, 2017 at 3:38 pm

Hello Cara! I also tried to call Vertice multiple times but none of them got through… Do you have any tips on when might be a good time to call them? I’m also trying to do travel there during Christmas and it seems like a lot of the camps are booked out already… Many thanks!!

Sierra Kona

Choi

September 23, 2017 at 3:38 pm

Hi, my name is Choi
Thank u for the great informations
Im planning to visit torres del paine on 30th July, and Im wondering how i can book the campsites. Im from south korea and there aren’t so much information through blogs.. And My budget is tight so can you recommend the cheapest way? And I dont care about how long the camping takes. Thank You!!

Hi Choi, from what I’ve read, it is now required that you go with an accredited guide when you hike during the winter months. I’d recommend reaching out to a few of the local agencies in town to get a quote on how much this would cost. There could be a work around, but unfortunately, I’m not sure what it is since this is a new rule!

Samnang

October 1, 2017 at 4:32 am

Hello Taylor, Thank you for the useful information. I plan to do the Trek W (W-E) between Nov 9th. and 13th. I am still waiting for a confirmation from Vertice on Day 1 and 2 (Gray/Del Paine) , already booked Day 4 with Fantastico at Chileno and still haven’t figure out how to book my day 3 at the free campsite Italiano. I heard that it’s now mandatory. Any suggestions?

Julia

October 3, 2017 at 7:33 pm

Hi Taylor,

I’m about to book for December and wanted to confirm — I need to book a reservation for each at every stop I make, correct? I had additionally assumed that I would be packing my own meals for each and every day, but after emailing with Fantasticosur, I was told there is no option to book a reservation at Los Cuernos (for example) without also reserving meals and fullboard, since open cooking is prohibited. So the cheapest option is to select “Single platform + fullboard” for $226 USD. Does that sound right to you?

Sia T

1. This is the most informative source of information I have found, thanks all!
2. Why is this so difficult????? I have seen better organisation in drunken bar crawls across various European cities!

Myself and a friend are looking to do a 3 night excursion along the ‘w’ trek. Granted, we were late in booking, Today we came across the following;

Night 1: No booking, we wanted Camp Torres, but it is closed for 2017/2018 –> second choice was Refugio Chileno run by Fantastico Sur, but they are only providing the Full Board camping option for $97 per head…. ridiculous. So far nothing booked, and I think this alone may force us to abort the whole of Torres del Paine.

Night 2 : Camp Italiano- I managed to book it no problem, but my friend tried straight after and failed with the website claiming the camp is now full for that night….. (as even though we are sharing a tent, the booking clearly states 1 adult), surely it does not matter whether there is 1 or 2 people in the tent…. I have emailed to suggest this fact!

Night 3: Paine Grande – My friend managed to successfully book Paine Grande for 2 people on the Vertices website…. we are yet to confront the whole ‘pay within 48 hours, but receive no email confirming how’ scenario…..

What an absolute mess. Any thoughts or suggestions on how I can sort the problems above would be hugely appreciated!

Hi Sia. I’m glad you’ve found it helpful, and sorry about all the difficulties in your booking! 1. Unfortunately, your options are Chileno for an exorbitant price or Torres Central for an early wakeup. You will need to get up 4 hours before sunrise, but it’s worth it! 2. Check back! These sites have fluctuating availability and she will probably have luck if she checks back a few times a week. They do check the reservations per person, and at times, won’t let you proceed through the checkpoints without proof of reservation. That being said, I know people who managed to sneak onto the sites and as long as you have a reservation for the tent, it’s not the biggest issue. 3. Latest news is there is a 2 week delay. They are receiving hundreds of emails (including hundreds of follow up emails) and it’s taking time to sort through them. That being said, you should have a space reserved for you even if you take more than 48 hours to pay. GOod luck!

Sia Tanhai

October 11, 2017 at 9:49 am

Hey, I have updates!

1. My friend contacted the Fantastico Sur I believe they are who run ‘Torres Central’, not to be confused for ‘Camp Torres’, and managed to get a booking, unfortunately it was $32.5 dollars per person (£25) for just camping without food or anything provided, which was still disappointing, but better than Chileno!

2. I have had no response with regards to Camp Italiano allowing me to have a booking with a tent but claiming to be full when my friend attempted booking. Hopefully they reply my email at some point, although my friend is confident that as we have bookings the night before and after Camp Italiano, and are staying the same tent, they should hopefully allow him passage.

3. The booking we made at Paine Grande with Vertice still stands as far as we are aware despite receiving no payment follow up email……..

T Cooper

October 10, 2017 at 3:15 pm

Hey Sia, have you had any further luck?
We are going through the exact same thing now trying to book the O circuit for January – it’s probably the most complicated thing I’ve ever tried to organise!
We have managed to book our first three nights (and have had to shell out for Chileno), but are yet to get through to Vertice. Has anyone had any luck booking Vertice sites for January 2018, or is it all booked up? We are holding off booking international flights whilst we try and sort this out (as we may re arrange the order we do things and do TdP at a later date if we can’t get in), but flight prices are going up by the day.
Honestly if anyone wants to open a business organizing the camping for people for a fee, I think you’d do fantastic business!
Cheers 🙂
T

T Cooper

Daisy

October 4, 2017 at 3:39 pm

Hello Cara! I also tried to call Vertice multiple times but none of them got through… Do you have any tips on when might be a good time to call them? I’m also trying to do travel there during Christmas and it seems like a lot of the camps are booked out already… Many thanks!!

Daisy

October 4, 2017 at 6:51 pm

Does anyone know what’s the best way to call Vertice from US? I’ve tried both Skype and Google Hangout for more than 30 times… It’s either busy or failed to connect or no one answer…. Not sure if it’s because I’m using Skype/Hangout or their lines are busy… Any good tips?

Hi Rachel. Chileno is the only closest to the Torres, but it is quite expensive to stay there and you have to book your site with full board. If you book Torres Central, you’ll need to wake up about 4 hours before sunrise to see sunrise at the Torres. Neither are great options, but it’s totally worthwhile! Good luck with your trek.

Julia Koch

October 9, 2017 at 2:04 pm

Hi Taylor!

I had a question about the reservations at Los Cuernos and Chileno related to your comment above — I’d prefer to use a tent and bring my own food, but when I spoke with a woman at Fantastico, she said my best option would be a platform + full board, since there is no open-air cooking allowed at those campsites. That seemed odd to me, since it’s about $226 USD and much more expensive than the other campsites. I though maybe I had made the wrong reservation, but after seeing your comment above, maybe not? What do you think? Thank you!

Hi Julia. Unfortunately, they kind of gouge you at those camps! If things are still the same, you can’t even get away with eating cold, and you’ll still have to book full board. Los Cuernos is a lot cheaper than Chileno, isn’t it? Good luck with the booking!

Hi Sia! I didn’t do this stretch of trail myself, but anecdotally, it takes 4 hours hiking uphill from Central to the Towers; the same hike down would probably only take 2 hours. After seeing sunrise, you could definitely make it from Torres to Italiano. It will be a long day, but it’s mostly downhill, so you should be alright. It will be a long one, but totally possible!

Bill Collis

October 5, 2017 at 1:06 pm

I did the original booking request online with Vertice on 21 Aug, still no response from them
I have emailed and I am now trying to ring everyday, most days it is just engaged
Occasionally it rings, once a very nice woman answered and she found our booking request and said it would be 3 days, but that was 10 days ago.
All the other times it rings it just gets cut off

Fiona McEwan

October 16, 2017 at 2:53 am

Hi Bill, Have you heard back from Vertice yet & if so, did they give you any update on their response times/priorities or whether you needed to resubmit your original booking request form on their website?
My booking request made on the 29 August is still answered and I’ve followed up, in Spanish, via three further unanswered emails now.
Cheers
Fiona

Hi Cassie. I believe booking opens 6 months ahead and it’s best to get the reservations as soon as you know your dates. That being said, April is creeping into low season, so you don’t have to worry quite as much as those traveling in high season.

Cassie

Alex

October 16, 2017 at 4:19 am

I am doing a Torres Del Paine circuit starting the 25th of December if Vertice Patagonia ever replies to my emails or answers my calls.

Does anyone have any information regarding the availability of Camp Dickson, Camp Perros and Camp Paine in the final days of December? This is getting quite frustrating and I hope that if I don’t manage to get reservations that it is still possible to camp on these sites.

Alison Roberts

October 16, 2017 at 6:13 pm

Hi Taylor.
I got back off the trek yesterday (16 October) and thanks so much for all the advice.
Maybe I could add some up to date info.
We booked about 3 weeks ago and had no problems with either Vertice or Fantastico. They both replied with in a couple of days and even when we had to change our original dates it was no problem. Perhaps they are getting their act together at last and it is the quiet part of the season. I did however have a major problem with CONAF and could not contact them at all. (This turned out to be very lucky as we had torrential rain and camping at Italiano would not have been pleasant)
As we couldn’t book at Italiano we decided not to carry all our camping gear so we booked a ready set up tent at Paine Grande for the 1st night. Good tent, brand new sleeping bag, cooking area is very good, you are in a warm room with dinning room attached and lots of power points for charging things. You need your own stove.
Day 2, walked to Los Cuernos in torrential rain. Italiano looks like a great spot to camp in good weather but in the rain it was miserable. They even stopped people going further up the Francis valley. We preceded to Los Curnos, where we had again booked a set up tent, only to be told that the tents were not in use and that we would have to sleep in a lovely warm, dry dorm. This made 2 dripping hikers very happy). Staff were great here. If you meet Paco say hi from me please.
The tracks in the Vertice area are very well maintained with bridges over streams and walk ways over boggy bits. But in the Fantastico area you have to wade through streams and rivers (very dangerous with the amount of rain we had) and there is a very swampy area where people lost shoes, so wear boots.
Day 3 weather better but very windy. Almost got blown off the track near Chileno refuge. Once again we were moved from the tents into dorms (I had to ask here so if the weather is bad it’s worth a try. Again there was no extra charge.)
We cooked our selfs at P G but had to do the full board option at the other 2 and we felt that the food was very good. My partner has dietary problems and she was very well looked after. We informed Fantastico Sur before we started and all her meals etc were ready.

Also, there is a talk every day at 3pm at Erratic Rock in Puerto Natales. It’s free and very informative. I recommend going.

Anne

October 17, 2017 at 1:27 pm

Hello,

Thanks for all the useful information on this thread.

Can I please get advice on the following schedule for campsites on the W Trek. I have chosen these specific campsites due to availability according to Vertice & Fantastico Sur sites but have yet to receive confirmation:
Jan 6: Camp Grey
Jan 7: Camp Paine Grande
Jan 8: Camp Frances (what is another option in case this is booked out)
Jan 9: Camp Chileno (because we really want to see the Torres at sunrise)

So I emailed ventas01 through ventas06 with blind carbon copy, and two days later ventas05 got back to me… The person I got this from received a response from ventas06 so I think it is worth going through all of them.

I would also say you should be very careful in making sure they book what you ask for, as first she had the wrong campsites, and then she had the wrong month! There was also about a 5 hour gap in the time where she originally contacted me and when she responded again, so don’t get frustrated.

Eric Leithliter

Sandra

October 25, 2017 at 9:25 am

Alex, your advice helped us a lot and we managed to finalize our reservation in few days after ventas05 got back to us. Thanks a lot!
Taylor, this blog post is great, thank you, thank you, thank you. And comments – awesome.

About the whole process – at first (after more than 3 weeks) Vertice answered us that they have no availability for our dates. But when we reached them by phone they told us that they are not taking reservations for November for O circuit because they are not sure if they can provide service because of the weather. They recommend us to contact them at the beginning of November again. But then (like 10 minutes later) other person responded by email that they can make a reservation for our schedule (that is Dickson – 20.11, Los Perros 21.11, Grey 22.11) and they actually did. So I have no idea how it works and if they have any policy for that, but keep in mind that when they say “we have no availability” it might not be “we are sold out”. It is worth trying to reach them again.

Alex – when were you able to book this for? We are looking to go in January 2018, do you happen to know the availability around this time, we’ve been trying to book for weeks and weeks with no success so far.

My partner and I had our bookings all set back in Sept. for a late November 21-28 O Trek for the schedule below but then never heard confirmation back from Vertice for weeks. We started getting more panicked and following up with more emails to ventas01…06 and phone calls (we are in Chile now). ventas10@verticepatagonia.cl just got back to us.

Unfortunately, we can get a space for Dickson & Perros but Grey is completely booked and Paso is not available at all in November. We could also get Paine Grande for the day before our Italiano.

My questions on which I’d appreciate your opinion/advice, since we are approaching our window to cancel existing reservations:
1) Do we cut our losses and just plan to do the W Trek starting with Paine Grande? (We’ll have to hang out in Punta Arenas/Puerto Natales longer since we already have plane tickets set). We can potentially tack on Camping Pehoe beforehand for more camping time.
2) Do we keep our bookings for Serón, Dickson & Perros and keep trying for Paso or Grey for that very specific day, while booking Paine Grande in case Paso/Grey never materialize and we have to do the W? (Assumes we will lose money on a reservation somewhere).
3) If we can’t get Paso/Grey, could we potentially hike as far as Serón and then turn back around? (Or even Dickson or Perros? Assuming we could get camping spaces We then could take a bus/catamaran to pick up the W from the West as we originally planned.

Jen

October 20, 2017 at 8:39 pm

Update! I actually managed to get a response and successfully book my campsites with Vertice. I did what Alex suggested above, thanks Alex!, and I got a response in a few hours from ventas05. They had my dates available ( the week of November 12). Wooho!

André Baumgarten

October 21, 2017 at 6:35 pm

VERY IMPORTANT UPDATE!!!!!

I got an email from FantasticoSur today in which they told me that the CAMPGROUND SÉRON WILL STAY CLOSED UNTIL 15TH NOVEMBER DUE TO FLOODING OF THE TREKK. This follows up the heavy rains Alison wrote here on the 16th October. IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO WALK THE O. Panic but I found a solution for which I only have to change three camps. For everyone with the same problem, here my idea:

Instead of Séron take Frances (both FantasticoSur, if availability, should be fine to change, I will write them after my post here)
Instead of Dickson take Paine Grande (both Vertice, same, I try)
Instead of Los Perros take Grey (both Vertice).
The next day arrive at Camp Paso, which you probably will have booked already, because it will be the same day just you arrive from the other side. And then the way back or the ferry .

Peter w

October 22, 2017 at 3:05 pm

I just got a message from fantasticosur saying that the o circuit will be closed until November 15th due to flooding. Now I can’t get new reservations. Sucks as I booked over two months ago. Anyone else got this problem. I was booked for November 7th to start.

André Baumgarten

Pete W

October 24, 2017 at 3:21 am

Hey André, I just read your message now. Yeah seems like a few people will be having the same problem. As for your plan to walk backwards, in a clockwise direction, that will only work until you reach refugio grey. Right after refugio grey, there is a guards building that will not let people enter into the ‘o’ circuit section from that direction. So it will not be possible to use the campamento paso unless you enter from a anti-clockwise direction. But it will be possible to hike until refugio grey.

Claire Lawrence

October 24, 2017 at 9:19 am

Does anyone know where I can find information on this? I have bookings on similar dates but have no email telling me things are closed. Does anyone know if the W trek is still open or is everything closed off?

Andre Baumgarten

Hi Claire,
if you walk the W all is fine. It is just the section between Torres Central and Séron. Thats why you hvnt got an email. Enjoy.

Claire Lawrence

October 24, 2017 at 11:21 am

No, I wasn’t meant to be walking the W, I was meant to be doing the ‘O’ and have bookings for Torres Central and Séron. I’m just wondering if that part is closed, will we be refunded for those sites and we can just walk the W instead if there’s no option to do the O part.

André Baumgarten

October 24, 2017 at 9:30 pm

FantasticoSur offered a 100% refund or what I will do, I will ask for Camp Frances. What about Vertice, I don’t know, I was in contact with them yesterday in order to swap Dickson and Los Perros for Paine Grande and Grey and I hope that will work. So far nothing got sure.
Don’t suppose that there will be something automatically be refunded or changed. Def. you have to do it and pray, that it works.

Fiona McEwan

October 27, 2017 at 3:41 am

Hi Taylor, Do you know if the O Circuit can be hiked in April? The various websites say the track is open until 30 April but I’ve just been emailed by Vertice saying they wont take my bookings at Dickson and Perros around the 18th April as the O Walk closes 30 March (Although Fantastico Sur let me book for 17th April at Serron)- I cant seem to find anything on any websites verifying this close of 30 March and Vertice are not responding. Many thanks.

Jenna

November 2, 2017 at 1:41 am

Hi there, just wondering if anyone knows if there is a place to fill up a fuel canister for a MSR Windburner or Jetboil in Puerto Natales or if that has to be done in Punta Arenas? Any help is greatly appreciated!

Hi Jenna. I didn’t do it myself, but Puerto Natales is quite a busy trekking town, so I imagine it’s actually a better place to do it! Erratic Rock collects partially used fuel canisters, so I have to imagine they can fill them as well. If they can’t they’ll surely know where to send you. Enjoy your trip!

Eric Leithliter

November 2, 2017 at 10:21 pm

Hi Taylor. Thanks for all the info. A huge help. I’m doing the Q next month and rumors is that Grey is booked and Paso is not showing up on the CONAF site. What’s your take on doing Los Perros to Paine Grande in one day? Traveling solo and seasoned backpacker. Thanks!

You’re asking the right person! I was in a similar situation in April — I ended up hiking Dickson to Paso in one day (not recommendable as you finish with the pass) but Los Perros to Paine Grande is definitely doable. I think you should expect to walk around 11 hours, but it’s a nice trail and it starts with the hard part and gets easier. The day before will be challenging, but as long as you’re willing to struggle a bit, you’ll absolutely make it in one piece and before sunset. Good luck with your trek!

Eric

Erika

December 13, 2017 at 5:47 pm

Hi Eric, I wanted to check in around whether you did the Los Perros to Paine Grande hike in one day. I e-mailed Vertice about booking those campsites with nothing in the middle and they stated that it was not permitted to skip so many sites. (Therefore they will not allow me to book Dickson and Perros without Grey or a CONAF site.) Any update on how this went for you in terms of campsite bookings, etc would be mucho appreciated!! (We hope to do the hike end of January.) Thanks so much in advance!

Marilou

Hannah

November 7, 2017 at 5:37 am

Hi, I am scheduled to do the W Trek Nov 11 – Nov 15. I have been closely watching the weather for the past two weeks. It looks like Nov 11 and Nov 12 are going to be pretty bad for rain (both 80% chance of rain with rainfall nearing a quarter of an inch). My current plan is Refugio Grey (Nov 11); Paine Grande (Nov 12); Italiano (Nov 13) Chileno (Nov 14).

Is it too late to try and switch refugio campsite reservations around to try and avoid the possible down pour of rain? I was thinking I could maybe try to switch my trek to Nov 14 – Nov 18: staying at Chileno (Nov 14); Italiano (Nov 15); Paine Grande (Nov 16); and finally Grey (Nov 17).

Is it possible to make last minute changes like this with campsite reservations? Do the booking agencies have offices in Puerto Natales that I could go to and talk with someone about this situation. Any recommendations will be helpful! Thanks 🙂

Jonathan Urey

November 16, 2017 at 10:17 pm

hey

I wanted to book my camping spots for glacier grey and paine grande but I couldn’t reach them. I tried to call them several times a day, and did send many emails but without any succes. Now everything is already fully booked for the beginning of December, which means that I can’t do it anymore..

Jerome Poon

November 19, 2017 at 7:46 am

I am going for a hike O trek in mid December. I cannot contact vertice patagonia via both email and phone. I have already booked the other campsites. Please help me figure out how to book Dickson Camp, Los Perros Camp, Grey Camp, Paine Grande Camp please. Thank you very much

UK

November 20, 2017 at 2:01 am

I am in the same situation here. I am getting there on Dec 27 and want to do the W from Dec 28 to Jan 1. All the Fantastico Sur camps for those dates are completely full (I have not seen a vacancy for a long time) and Vertice does not bother to reply. I have already booked my air tickets. Not sure about what to do! Is there anything else to see in that area (just preparing for the worst case scenario)?

Erika

December 10, 2017 at 10:41 pm

Hi UK,

We are hoping for the O Circuit starting Jan 22, and any information you find in your experience in late December would be ultra-incredible for us! We will also keep you updated if we hear anything else – a friend of a friend was there recently and I’m hoping to get some info from that source. All the best!

Callum Yeomans

November 20, 2017 at 12:33 pm

They’ve just released a new online booking system as promised, I’m still having some issues with it (can’t get a USD option or choose a tent), but it’s a way to get a booking if one is available!http://verticepatagonia.cl/reservas

You can choose English from the homepage and go back to bookings if your Spanish isn’t too sharp.

Brian

November 21, 2017 at 2:43 pm

Callum THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I was able to use this to book and pay— I had booked and those reservations seem to be taken (I have not been able to pay for them), but I think I have enough proof to make the case that I tried. Huge thanks for the update!

Ashlee

November 21, 2017 at 5:27 pm

Hi all!
What is the difference between Camping Chileno Plataforma Premium and Camping Chileno Plataforma?
If we are looking into renting tents at the sites to avoid carrying them, does ‘2 people + FB + camping gear included’ mean that we get the tent with it??
Thanks 🙂

Hi Ashlee. I believe the difference with Platforma Premium is that all the gear is included while the Platforma is simply just the platform and you set your own tent up. It’s quite cheap to rent one in Puerto Natales if you want to save a bit of money and don’t mind hauling it!

Richard Carton

November 27, 2017 at 7:47 am

Hi Taylor! Thanks for providing so much information! We’re not hoping to to do the W circuit until February of 2019. Making the bookings seems to be a bit of a nightmare. Any idea how much some of the companies (Chile Nativo, Keteka Tours, Hue Que etc). charge to make the bookings for you? Maybe it would be worth paying something to avoid the headaches. Also: I have looked at booking accommodation at Dome Frances. It seems that one can only book meals if they stay in the dome or pay for premium camping that includes equipment rentals. I see no spot on the form to book meals if you just rent a spot on a platform. Is this your understanding? Thanks!

Hey Richard! It’s my understanding that the booking agencies can charge upwards of $500 to make the reservations for you, and guided treks are from $1,500+. That being said, I imagine local operators have an allocation of spaces and they will be able to get sites you won’t find online. As for your other question, I didn’t personally stay in Frances, unfortunately. I just checked their site and it looks like you do have to have one of the premium accommodations booked to book meals ($30+ each). You might bring some extra food just in case, but I imagine they’d love to have your money if you want to eat there!

Marshall

December 3, 2017 at 9:46 am

Hi Taylor,

Thanks so much for compiling all this info. You’re a saint and a huge help to rookies like myself. I’m shooting for the O in February. Best I can tell CONAF’s Paso and Italiano are fully booked as well as Grey thru Feb. Is it doable to plan from Perros all the way to Paine Grande in one day?

Heya Marshall. I’m so glad you’ve found it helpful! Only wish I had a bit more leverage with any of the operators 😉 I’m afraid Perros to Paine Grande wouldn’t be doable in a day as you’ll have to conquer John Garner Pass. I’ve heard of people doing Perros to Grey in a day (maybe 10 hours of hiking?). If I were you, I’d leave a hole in the itinerary and keep checking back on Paso and Grey — February leaves you a fair amount of time to get the site you need. Good luck!

JoJo

December 3, 2017 at 8:50 pm

Hey Marshall and Taylor, I’m in the same boat as having Grey booked out for our dates in Feb 26th. Your advice is to leave the hole, but what happens if the slot never becomes available?? How can one site be booked out and the others not? We are all doing the same circuit!
I’m very grateful for the online booking now available I just wish I knew about it earlier!!! I’ve been trying to book this for the last month.
Do you have any other advice for us?

JoJo

December 3, 2017 at 8:55 pm

Following on my comment, the way the system is you can’t leave a gap. So i read this as basically the the O circuit is not available to do late February. This leaves us in a big pickle!!!!! Soooooo frustrating!

Hi JoJo. I guess it’s not possible to leave a gap with the new booking system! I had the benefit of going in April (low season) where the slots were easier to come by, but I had friends with no reservations that were able to take care of everything locally before departing on the trek. Bottom line is that they’re REALLY cracking down, but I think this year is still a big enough mess that you should be able to make it work. Good luck, let me know if you find a way around the new booking system!

Marshall

December 4, 2017 at 7:53 am

Thanks for the quick reply Taylor! If no reservations for Paso or Grey become available, do you think the rangers would let me thru the Perros checkpoint with reservation for Paine Grande that night? The park’s map lists the distances as Perros-Paso 8km, Paso-Gray 7km, Grey-Paine 11km, so 25km/16.2 miles in total. While it would be a difficult day with John Garner Pass and any potential weather, it seems like it would be physically doable with an early start so long as the rangers let you press forward. What do you think about planning for Perros to Paine Grande then spend an extra rest day at Paine Grande before continuing on? This way I would at least have reservations for all nights on the circuit. If Grey or Paso freed up last moment, then I could stay there while only have to burn the $10 for the first night at Paine Grande. Thanks again!!!

Marshall

December 4, 2017 at 8:25 am

Well…I don’t think my idea is possible. For booking the O with Vertice’s website, there is no option to book individual campsites for the circuit, nor is their a booking option that doesn’t include Grey (say if you wanted to do Paso-Paine Grande for one day). Bottom line seems to be that if Grey is sold out, then your SOL for the circuit. There’s no way to even book Dickson and Perros independent of Grey, unless you can get in their good graces via email or phone.

Hi Marshall. I just had a chance to look at Vertice’s new booking system, and it is certainly making things easier/harder at once. Bottom line is when you’re on the back side of the park, there’s only two ways out (the way you came or the way you’re going). I think rangers are probably annoyed by people traveling without reservation, but they figure you’re going to have to camp SOMEWHERE without a reservation that night, so hopefully they’d learn towards letting you proceed. Please let me know if you do find a workaround with the booking system. Good luck!

Marshall

December 4, 2017 at 1:21 pm

For the O in February…Just got off the phone with Vertice at +56 61 241 2742. Used Skype and the call was busy/failed about 20 times, but eventually went thru. Guy on the other end was very friendly and spoke super clear, slow Spanish. Moral of the story, per Vertice, Refugio and Camping Grey are booked full thru Mid-March. They won’t allow you to book Dickson or Perros without sending them proof of a CONAF reservation for Paso, which doesn’t have availability until early-mid March. Asked about a wait list or being contacted in the event of a cancellation at Grey, but he said there are many people waiting and just recommended checking back to the website or doing the W.

Erika

December 10, 2017 at 10:26 pm

Hi Marshall,

We are hoping for the O in January (cutting it even closer), and are finding ourselves in a very similar boat to yourself. May I ask, did the representative at Vertice suggest that you might be able to do just the W, even with the current full bookings? (Just inquiring regarding the last sentence in your post above.) Thanks so much! We will be sure to let you know if we find any helpful information.

JoJo

December 7, 2017 at 5:13 pm

Hi Taylor,

I’d recommend updating the links at the top of this page for Vertice. Their old website http://www.verticepatagonia.com does not at all redirect or provide any information on their new online booking system. If people go there they will still get lost in the email booking loop. The new link http://www.verticepatagonia.cl will be much more helpful for future readers.

Thanks again for an amazing job with this blog post. It has been super helpful!

Rosanna

December 10, 2017 at 10:34 pm

Hello! A friend and I are planning on doing the O later in January. We’ve also run into these issues for booking but can’t rearrange our travel dates. Does anyone know what would happen if we started hiking and only had a couple sites booked? Would our reservations be checked before we even start the hike?

Hi Rosanna! As recently as April, they weren’t checking reservations at the start of the hike, but there are two checkpoints: Guardaria Coirón where they require proof of booking for Dickson or Los Perros & Guardaria Los Perros where you must show reservation for Paso or Gray. I had a few pals ask rangers to call ahead and check availability at certain campsites, but only the friendly ones were willing to do it. I’d say if it’s just one or two, it should be workable, but you should do whatever you can to lock down the rest of those sites, even if it’s checking back daily or setting them up in Puerto Natales. Good luck!

Daniel

December 14, 2017 at 9:14 pm

Hi Taylor,

First, thank you so much for all the effort put into this post and the blog in general. It has by far been the source of the most helpful info on the painful process of booking the campsites for torres.
Unfortunately, I’m on the same boat as my fellow travelers above: planning to do the O circuit in late January, flights booked and all but I haven’t been able to book any of the campsites from neither Vertice nor Fantasticosur (as I was waiting for Vertice to answer my e-mails to book with the latter). I just found out about the new website for Vertice and realized Grey is sold out for my dates, which makes it impossible to book the other sites (Dickson, Los Perros etc).
Now I also noticed that all the camping sites for the W circuit are sold out as well and that leaves me in a very tricky situation, as I can’t rearrange my travel dates.

My question is: how realistic is it to get to Puerto Natales and manage to sort out the bookings just a day or two before starting the trek?

Hi Daniel. Sounds like things are quite rough this year! I’m sorry you’ve had trouble booking. While booking one or two days before the trek was possible in April, I’m not sure it will be during January. Have you had any luck reaching the operators since you wrote?

Erika

December 15, 2017 at 10:06 pm

Hi all! This is the best thread, THANK YOU for all the helpful information! Taylor, we are considering (hopefully) trekking from Camp Frances to Camp Central in one day, in order to avoid the high cost of staying at Cuernos. Do you know if this would be doable in one day? The research I’ve done so far has told me yes, but I wanted to check with you!

Cara

December 17, 2017 at 7:58 pm

I have reservations for Dec 24-30 for the O Trek. However, in completing my preparation I realize that Vertice never sent a final confirmation voucher like Fantastico did. When I contacted Vertice they replied that I was supposed to print something out when I paid online. I have all of my emails between Vertice and I printed and also a copy of my bank statement where I paid. Long story short, what do I need to be prepared to show the guards as proof of my reservation? THANK YOU!

Torres Ranger Station to the Hotel Puerto Natal/Punta Arenas on the 03/11

I am doing the full circuit could be between 7 to 9/10 days. Might add extra days/Refugio, I will see.

Well I wouldn’t say I am on budget….but for what I am reading online….there is a chance to do this tour almost for free, like just touch all the free Refugio…..but you need to walk for long days….I might try this.

Do you know which free Refugio I should choose to make the full circuit or I can follow your itinerary as well.
Also before that, there are just silly money if you want do throw an Agency, thousand of dollars, cheers.

I have few question:
What you think I will have enough time to do all the circuit?

I am also booking the Refugio, I can see from the website Campmento Torres is closed, I think the main attraction of this tour is to see the sunrise at Los Torres…. so the only option is to stay Campamento Chileno, where you pay at least 100 uds…..great!

I have gears, the only things I will rent is tents and sleeping bag, and about food I will buy everything in Puerto Natal,
which in all the Refugio, it is silly money…….

Karen Hedegaard Lyngsøe

January 10, 2018 at 4:20 pm

Hi
I am trying to find a map, where I can see the distances. I understand that the Serron camp is closed this season. Is there other camps between the Eco camp and Dickson? If not. How long is trek between the two camps?

Cara

January 22, 2018 at 11:44 am

I was there a couple weeks ago and staying at Seron. Unless it’s closed in the interim, it should be accessible. As for the times, all of the quoted times on blogs and also the time available on Fantástico Sur’s site were very accurate for an average hiker. Until my knee started hating me, I was approximately an hour faster each day but I made very few stops. Enjoy!

farhanah

January 18, 2018 at 1:10 am

Hi Taylor,

What is the best way for me to reach Camp Torres from Argentinian side? We are thinking of doing a short 2 day trip to catch the peaks, however I cannot seem to find much info on coming in from the Argentinian side. What will be your recommendation?

Interesting question. I’ve never heard of anyone entering the park from the Argentinian side, so I’m pretty sure it’s not possible. There are fixed entry points to the trail and you must hike counter-clockwise, so I’d guess your best bet will be to start from Puerto Natales. Sorry I can’t offer more info here — let me know if you learn anything else?

Alix

January 21, 2018 at 5:56 pm

Thank you SO MUCH for this — what a great resource!
We’re trying to book the O-trek for March 4-11, approximately. We’re flexible with +/- 2 days or so, but not too much more than that.
We were able to find camping spots on Vertice except for the Grey campground — seems to be booked up (and camas too) for Feb 23-March 12th, which is really our whole trip. Any tips here? It looks like we can’t book campground seperatly — the Vertice site makes us book the whole itinerary 🙁
Any help would be greatly appreciated, THANK YOU!

Hi Alix. Vertice just introduced the new booking system this year, so I’m not exactly sure what the workarounds are if one of the sites is unavailable. Have you tried corresponding directly with Vertice by phone or email? I know they’re quite tough to get ahold of, but I imagine that would be the best way to try. Good luck and sorry I don’t have any better tips for this!

Donna Simek

January 23, 2018 at 3:17 pm

Hello Taylor, Thank you for a great blog post to decipher the puzzle. We missed the boat for this past season so are really trying to plan ahead this year. We have a family of 6 and want to hike the W at the end of December ’18. Do you know when the reservations open for Vertice and Fantasticour or even CONAF?

Hi Donna! Planning a year out seems to be the only way to go these days! If I remember correctly, CONAF reservations opened up in October last year, and the private companies only started showing availability on their websites at the end of winter. Perhaps the best route is to wait for the chaos of the 2017-2018 season to die down, and give them a call during summer? Hope you guys are able to make it next year!

Barbara Zamudio

January 27, 2018 at 7:21 pm

Hello, Thanks for such a helpful article. We are planning to do the O Trek November 17, 2018. We tried to go online to book, but Fantistico Sur did not even look like it existed right now, and Venice appeared that you can only book 6 months out. Do you know how far out you can begin booking?

Hi Barbara. From the sounds of it, booking was a nightmare this year! I understand CONAF sites usually open up in October, and Fantastico Sur and Vertice aim to have availability 6 months ahead of time. They got pretty backlogged, but maybe you can get ahold of them by phone near the end of the season to ask? Best of luck!

Captain Fake-Name

January 31, 2018 at 10:54 pm

Hi Taylor, as others have said thanks so much for posting and continuing to update!

I’m in a bit of a situation with CONAF. My friend booked camp sites awhile ago, including with Paso and Italiano, but made the reservation for one person (one tent). When we arrived today in Puerto Natales, we were able to get Vertice and Fantastico to add me to the reservations as an extra person in the same tent. However, CONAF refused to do so for Paso (on Feb 9) or Italiano (on Feb 12), which surprised us a bit since we have heard that CONAF is actually more relaxed since the sites are free…

We’re thinking that since we already have a tent site booked and are only adding an additional person to the same tent, we may be okay once we get on the trail, but we’re worried that it is possible we get turned away at a check point.. Thoughts on this?? Any idea what time the check point between Seron and Dickson starts and whether we may be able to get up early and beat it? Other ideas?

Anyone happen to have a booking at Paso on Feb 9 or Italiano on Feb 12 that you’re not going to use?

[…] Patagonia. Like many, I had been fed on wonderful images of the park, and the promise that it was a complicated, but worthy matter. Well, it was such a pain that we went for only one day trip to the mirador over […]

Maggie Schneider

March 19, 2018 at 1:03 am

Hi Taylor! Extremely helpful post with great information! I am trying to book campsites for early January 2019 (starting on Jan 2 or 3) but Vertice is already listing as sold out. CONAF’s site says the dates are too far out – could this be the same thing with Vertice? It looks a lot of people have run into booking issues with Vertice and mentioned that campsites are only available 6 months out, but I didn’t see any message of that.

Lexi

April 6, 2018 at 1:50 am

Hi Taylor,
First of thanks so much for compiling this. It is super super helpful. I am aiming to do the Q trek starting December 19, 2018. I have been looking online at Vertice and fantasticosur to book and it’s saying all sold out. Is this possible or is this just because the sites aren’t online yet? I read the comments above and it looks like that’s the case, I just want to triple check. I am doing a study abroad program in Villarica August- December, and really do not want to miss my opportunity to backpack Patagonia (because it might be my only one). I would really appreciate any information as to the best way to book these sites to be sure I will get a spot and if you know when the best time to start booking / forcibly emailing them to respond is? Thanks for your help! Also, do you know if Camp Torres will still be closed then? Thank you!

Hi Lexi. I’m just noticing this comment slipped through the cracks! Sorry about that. Did you get everything sorted for your trip? I’ve heard everything is bookable by now with exception of CONAF. Shoot me an email if you have any other questions and I promise to reply quicker next time!

Nayara Xavier Jones

May 12, 2018 at 1:10 am

Hi Taylor,
I’ve been waiting to get camping reservations for more than 3 weeks! Nothing so far! So, help me please if you can. I’ll de driving a rental car and decide to stay in Puerto Morales in a hotel for 3 nights in November 8 to 11, 2018. Where can I park the car and hike to Torres del Paine base mountain (mirador) and return to the car in one day? How far in miles it’ll be? I wont have the time to the O or W, but at least I can see the Torres! And what else would you recommend to hike doing the same, to drive to the closest point and returning the same day. I will be doing all by myself, so I decided to return to the hotel every night and just hiking during the day! Thanks a lot! Nayara Jones

Hi Nayara. Sorry to hear they haven’t gotten back to you yet. Did you do them via email or using the online booking system? I’m not familiar with Puerto Morales – most people will come to the park from Puerto Natales, and as not all the entrances are open, you might have to do the same. It’s about 1.5 hours between Puerto Natales and TdP. The hike to the Torres can definitely be done in a day – I’m guessing 8 hours round trip?

Holger

May 24, 2018 at 12:15 pm

Hi Taylor,
great side and extrem helpful informations! We would like to visit TdP by mid of December 2018.
Just managed it to book all campsides exept the Conaf parksides. The webside is a total desaster and it looks like that the reservation system broke down. There is no chance to do any reservation. Do you have any idea how we can book the missing campsides?
Btw – we will do the Q-round and start at entrance at Los Torres. Is it possible to leave the car there for the 8 days? Best

Hi Holger. You got lucky to get all your campsites besides CONAF! Just checked the booking system, and it looks like it is entirely down. Perhaps you can try again in a few days?

As for parking, it is best to take a bus from Puerto Natales (07:30 or 14:30) as parking can be tough during high season. If you’d prefer to drive, I know you can park in the Hotel Las Torres parking lot, but I’m not sure about the others. Hope this helps a bit and let me know if you have other questions!

Malin

June 1, 2018 at 2:18 pm

Hi Thanks for a great post really helpful 🙂
Unfortunatly (if I understand the spanish correct) the Torres campsite will be closed next summer season too (18/19). Would it be a good plan to do Camp Italiano and then Camp Chileno and get up super early for the sunrise at the towers? and the Conaf website does not work yet. I’ll keep on trying every day from now.

Hi Malin, so glad you found it helpful! I took a look, but didn’t see an official update. If Torres is still closed, your best choice is to stay the night in Chileno. It’s about 4 hours to the Torres, but it’s doable to get there for sunrise if you’re early! As for the CONAF site, I know it’s frustrating! Keep at it, and know that they’ll open it soon. Good luck with planning and let me know if you have any questions.

Sheila

June 19, 2018 at 3:50 am

Hi Malin,

Have you been able to book with CONAF or Vertice yet? CONAF doesn’t seem to be taking reservations as of now. Have you been able to book with CONAF? Also, Any date we enter with Vertice for camp grey isn’t available. Have you been able to book Vertice? If so, did you use their website?

Paul

June 6, 2018 at 12:40 pm

Hi Taylor,
We are planning on doing the W in March 2019 (I know long time from now ;). But what I was wondering if we have refugio’s I think we can manage with smaller packs than our big travel backpacks that we have with us since we are traveling for a couple of weeks trough Chile. Is there any possibility of storing our bigger packs somewhere and do the hike with our smaller ones and pick our bigger ones up when we leave again?
BR Paul

Hi Paul. Definitely! Most hotels/hostels in Puerto Natales offer luggage storage while people are off doing the W Trek. I left my laptop, jeans, and boots behind for the trek because I knew I sure as hell wouldn’t need them out there. Hope you’re looking forward to the trip and please let me know if you have any questions!

Hi Henry, I gave it a try and heard similar feedback from other people booking the trek right now. I assume the CONAF bookings are closed for the winter and will open up again around July? Will update the post if I hear anything before then, but please let me know if you get through?

Maggie

June 11, 2018 at 6:14 pm

Hi Taylor,

Thanks to your blog I was successful in booking 3 out of my 4 nights! I just booked with Fantasticosur and had a couple questions. It wouldn’t let me book a campsite (just the ground for our tent) – I had to choose a platform, which is fine. I selected a single platform based on comments I read here that a single platform can sleep 2. We don’t need food provided so I only booked a platform (it was like $20.) Should we be okay but just booking that single platform? My next question is about using my own tent. Can you set up your own tent on the platform… curious about the stakes that normally go in the ground? I had heard people saying a tent was provided but I did not opt to rent one.

Alright! The single platform is enough to sleep two, so no issues there. I didn’t personally stay on any platforms, but I’d imagine they have eye screws, nails, or other tie downs. Just to be on the safe side, I’d bring something to tie your tent down or to one of these things. Tent rental is an additional cost, so if you’ve just booked the platform, you can go ahead and use your own. Good luck and let me know if any other questions pop up!

Cara

June 13, 2018 at 3:21 pm

Oh the night of the platforms… I stayed on a platform at Cuernos. I splurged on an awesome dinner in the dining hall and returned to my Big agnes in a crumpled mess, ripped to shreds. I had set her up using the screws, nails, and tie downs provided, but I still wasn’t able to set up my tent in a way that withstood the Patagonian winds. My advice is to be prepared, do some research ahead of time and make sure that sucker can withstand because being up on the platform you’re way more susceptible to the winds. Luckily an amazing person stepped in and loaned me a tent for the remainder of my hike. The way the pros set up the rented tenants is insanely impressive. If I go back, I’m going to suck it up and rent the pre-setup tents. 🙂

Doug Pearson

June 13, 2018 at 8:47 pm

Taylor, thanks so much for your website–it was very helpful when organizing our trek of the O in March 2018. We encountered some difficult conditions on the trail…first big snow of the season on Pass day and much of the trail was under 6 or more inches of water, so I wanted to warn your readers: DON’T BELIEVE ALL YOU READ ABOUT DOING THIS TREK IN TRAIL RUNNING SHOES!! We had nice full shank goretex backpacking boots and thanked god every day. There were a lot of young and suffering people going “ultra-light” on the O (120km in sopping wet feet). You can maybe pull this off on the W, but it will not work on the O or Q. Please benefit from my 40 years of mountaineering and backpacking experience! Also, beware of Vertice. We got accused of “fraud” at Paine Grande by the camp host playing amateur detective (I’m an actual fraud investigator for a living). Anyway, Refugio Grey “tipped him off” because they couldn’t find our reservation and, the print-outs from Vertice’s website came out mixed English-Spanish, like Los Dogs (instead of Los Perros), etc…of course, the only explanation was we were frauds…rather than Vertice has a crappy website. Management eventually figured out their error and we got free wine, but the anxious and hostile host was itching to call the police on us. I strongly advised him to please call the police… Anyway, once you get to Paine, it’s a crush of humanity most of the entire W with tour groups and day hikers. I feel like the photos and coverage of Torres do not often reflect the reality on the trail, but still a good adventure–just not one we wouldn’t do twice. In the realm of places we’ve travelled and trekked, I’d give Torres a 6 out of 10.

joe

July 11, 2018 at 8:33 pm

A few quick questions. First off – your website it awesome! Helped me get all my resos complete. CONAF sucks, but that doesn’t matter b/c their sites really are moot, esp since the Torres CONAF site is closed. So just go w/ Vertice & Fantastico.

That said, …I’m pondering a few gear questions. Am I insane to entertain a bivy? Is cortisone necessary? Are propane cans easy to procure like we have here? What level bag do you suggest from mid-Oct to mid-Dec? Are the plugins issue a big problem for our American cords? And last, a bit beyond but perhaps you know – am I able to get a bus from Bolivia’s salt flats to cross the border into Chile to get to the Atacama WITHOUT a return flight? I want to just find my own way from Bolivia into Chile, and meander as far south beyond Torres as possible. Thus, a return flight is best purchased when I’m ready to return b/c I have no way of knowing how the weather will be as I’m traveling, perhaps as far south as Port Williams and beyond if possible.

Hey Joe. I’m glad you found it helpful! I know the CONAF site is kind of a nightmare, but good to hear the other bits are confirmed.

Regarding your other questions: A bivy could be nice! The park has notoriously unpredictable weather, and you’ll never regret staying dry. Cortisone probably depends on you. Propane cans are cheap and readily available in Puerto Natales, and you’ll even be able to pick up some partially used ones from campsites within the park. I went in April, but I was recommended a -5° sleeping bag just in case. As for the border crossing, I’m sure I didn’t have a departure flight when I crossed the border, and I don’t remember any problems.

Hey Heinrich. Those are the names of the campsite sectors. Central is Torre Central, their camp closest to the Torres. Cuernos, Chileno, etc. are the names of their other refugios and campsites. Let me know if you have any other questions as you’re making your reservations and I’ll be happy to help!

Hey Pascal. Sure thing! To answer your questions: the path between Refugio Central to the Mirador is easy to follow with orange dots along the way, but you’ll definitely need a headlamp to navigate. If I remember correctly, the hike from Chileno to the Mirador should be about 2 hours (compared to 4 hours). I didn’t drive to the park, but it’s my understanding that you’re better off parking in Puerto Natales and taking the bus to the park. Here’s more info on transport on the official website (http://www.parquetorresdelpaine.cl/en/como-llegar). And finally, I’m afraid I don’t know much about the catamaran, but I came by this (http://www.torres-del-paine.org/catamaran.html). Good luck with your planning and let me know if anything else comes up!

Alina

August 22, 2018 at 10:54 am

Hello Taylor! Fabulous blog! Thank you for all the helpful information.
Anyone know any updates on CONAF campsite bookings? The website says ‘Still not available for a very long time.
Any suggestions? Anyone to contact for more info? It’s so frustrating. We booked everything but 2 campsites with CONAF.
Any tips would be much appreciated.

Hey Alina. I’m sorry to hear CONAF still isn’t accepting bookings 🙁 I just took a look on the park website and it says “THE NEW BOOKING SYSTEM FOR 2018-2019 STILL NOT AVAILABLE. THE STARTING DATES WILL BE ANNOUNCED OPPORTUNELY THROUGH OUR WEBSITE AND OTHER SOCIAL NETWORKS.” I guess at least this means no one is booking! If I were you, I’d subscribe to their Facebook page with notifications so you can be the first to act when the news is available. Best of luck!

Alina

August 23, 2018 at 1:02 pm

Hello Taylor. Ugh yeah, I’ve been checking eveyday 🙁
Sadly for this matter, I don’t have Facebook. Any other way I could track progress or someone to contact?
If they still haven’t opened booking online … does that mean no one was able to book campsites all this time? How does that work out??

Stephan

August 26, 2018 at 10:28 pm

Hello Taylor, this blog is fantastic, thanks 🙂

I am a bit confused about the platforms. When booking a single platform at Francés, it costs $ 31, double $ 40. Serón, however, charges $ 20 per person which means $ 40 for 2. From what I read, 1 single platform should be alright for 2. Is this also valid this year, especially because the per person price is obviously $20?

When booking with Vertice, is there a chance to start the booking with los Perros instead of Dickson? I would like to go from Serón to Los Perros in 1 day without a stop at Dickson. And how can it be possible that there are still spots open for Dickson but not for Perros and Seron when you can only book the 3 of them together. Why would I stay at Dickson when there is no chance to stay in Perros or Gray as the next stop? Even if I would, there is no way to make a booking only for Dickson.

Stephan

August 27, 2018 at 10:13 am

Hello Taylor, this is a very helpful blog! Thank you!

I would like to make a reservation with Vertice for Perros and Grey. During the reservation process, it is only possible to select Dickson, Perros and Grey together. Is there a way to leave Dickson out? Another strange thing is that there are spots available for Dickson but not for Perros and Grey and there is no option to make a reservation only for Dickson. Did anybody have the same problems?

Hey Stephan, apologies for the delay! It’s my understanding that in the new online booking system, you have to book it in sequence. They’re trying to make it difficult for people to skip nights of accommodation by making the whole circuit mandatory. If you’re looking for something more custom, you’re best off emailing them directly to set this up. As for Dickson, anyone else have the answer? Let me know if you have any questions and I’ll do my best to help!

Hey Jana. Have you tried emailing them? It’s my understanding that you have to book everything in sequence at the moment. They haven’t quite gotten this reservation system down yet! Stephan, did you have a different experience?

Jana

Santo Dileo

September 6, 2018 at 5:30 am

Hello there! So admittedly, I’m new to backpacking and I’m a little confused. I want to hike all over Patagonia and specifically Torres Del Paine by myself, using all of my own equipment, with my own tent and my own food and everything.

Do I still have to book campsites? Or do I only have to do that if I want to stay in the refugios?
I thought the only expense I’d have to pay for is the entrance into the park, after that, I would be on my own. But now I’m confused, do I have to pay/register just to set my tent up on a camping ground?

Hey Santo. I was pretty new to backpacking for this trek too, and it’s a good place to start. The park prohibits wild camping, so you will need to book campsites for every night you’re staying in the park. While some camps rent gear, you’re just paying for the space. At most sites and will still need your own tent and food. It’s not a cheap camping trip (over $100 if you don’t get the free sites). Hope this helps and let me know if you have any other questions!

Santo

I’m trying to go in March 2019, and trying to avoid the crowds so will probably stay away from the free campsites.

How much, on average, should I expect to pay per night for each different campsight?

Also this seems really difficult to time out all reservations before you show up to the park. What happens if I book 10 nights worth of spots for the full circuit, but when I get there my pace is different than I expected. How flexible are they? Surely not everyone gets all the reservations timed perfectly for the whole visit?

Hey Santo. Glad you found it helpful! The trek has taken off in popularity so I’m afraid most campsites will be fully booked, free or not. The cheaper ones were around $10 per night, and I believe Chileno is the most expensive at $101 for just the platform (and since cooking is not allowed, you’ll probably pay for meals as well).

As for your reservations, they aren’t super flexible. You’re expected to keep pace with your bookings unless you’re injured, and if you fall behind, you’re kind of at the whims of campsite managers and park rangers. Especially at some of the more popular camps, it’s possible that they’d ask you to turn around. Good luck with your trek and let me know if any other questions pop up.

Holger

September 10, 2018 at 5:25 am

Hi Taylor,
unbelievable but the new booking System from Conaf is available now (or it was now the site is not working anymore) However, we have registered us there, choose the 2 Camping sides with a date and paid the entrance fee. 9h later we got a confirmation about the entrance fee but not for the campsides. Do you have any contact details from Conaf we can write to? We have bookes every single campside now exept the 2 from Conaf and I will go crazy if they will not let uns into the park to do the O-Track without the 2 campsides… all the best, Holger

Wow! Never thought we’d see the day. My guess is that they received the booking but were overloaded with confirmation emails. I received my confirmations from reserva.torresdelpaine@conaf.cl, perhaps you can give that a try? Let me know what you find out!

federico

September 26, 2018 at 2:39 pm

hello, firstly thank you for taking your time to recompile all these useful information, secondly I was trying to buy the tickets in conaf system it redirects me to webpay and when I enter my credit card and click send I get the credit card rejected, I tried with a visa and a american express credit cards. I sent them an email but got no reply, can you advise me what can i do in these case?, did it happen to you in when you book your tickets?. thanks in advance, regards.

federico

October 6, 2018 at 1:07 pm

hi taylor, I had to authorize the transaction but it never worked though they told me everything was fine. I will keep trying. they said paypal was an option but whenever you want to buy the tickets it redirects to webpay system.

Dror Shayovitz

September 28, 2018 at 9:30 am

Hi Taylor
Thanks for the excellent guide to booking campsites in the Torres del Paine – its the clearest explanation I’ve seen yet!
I’ve been trying to book entrance to the park and a campsite on the CONAF website, but when I click on the “Pagar” button I get a time-out, it looks like the payment system is down.
Has anyone else had this problem in the last few days?

Hey Dror. I’m happy it was helpful for you! The process was nightmarish a year ago, and it seems it’s only gotten more so. I’ve heard a few people comment that they’re having payment issues. Have you made any progress since you wrote this comment that you can share with anyone else having the same problem?

Crystal

September 28, 2018 at 5:29 pm

Hi Taylor,
Thank you very much for all this great information! I was trying to book the W-trek, but unfortunately I figured out that it is not possible to book a place at Chileno in January. Do you know if there is any way to still do the hike?

Or in case not, do you have any recommendations for other nice multiple day hikes in Patagonia?

Hey Crystal. Chileno books out pretty quickly! Did you already check if there’s space available at Torres Central? It’s a longer hike to the Torres, but it’s worth it if it means you get to go in the first place! There are tons of great alternative hikes in Patagonia. You’ll find a few detailed here. If you can’t get into Torres del Paine, maybe take a look at the hikes in Fitz Roy on the Argentinian side? Good luck with your trip planning, and glad you found the info useful!

Johanna Lassl

September 30, 2018 at 8:25 pm

Hey! First of all, thank you SO MUCH for this, I was really confused about how to book the campsites and your post has really helped me figure it out! I have booked at Vertice and Fantasticosur. From the first, I instantly got a confirmation mail after paying. Fantasticosur hasnt sent me anything yet. Did you (or anyone else) experience the same? I am just a bit stressed out about it because I have booked everything else at this point and it would be a desaster if I had to find out that my booking didnt work out. Thank you already (again)! Johanna

Hey Johanna. You’re welcome! I’m glad it’s been so useful. Did you get a confirmation number or anything when you booked through Fantasticosur? I haven’t had the exact experience, but I can say that automated emails/booking/confirmation isn’t very well streamlined. If your payment went through, you’re safe to assume it worked and I’d expect confirmation to arrive later. Please let me know if this is not the case and maybe your experience will be helpful for someone else experiencing the same issue. Good luck with your hike!

Abhichart Krissanaprasit

October 30, 2018 at 2:46 am

Hi Taylor,

Thank you so much for the booking guideline. It is very helpful.
I am going to trek in March. I have already booked most of the campsites except Italiano due to payment problem.
Unfortunately, I can’t make a payment on CONAF website. Do you have any suggestion?
Could I pay the entrance fee when I arrive at the park?

Hey Abhichart. You won’t be able to pay upon arrival. Have you tried multiple cards or PayPal as a payment method? I’ve heard a lot of people are having the same trouble but no clear solution just yet!

Abhichart Krissanaprasit

October 30, 2018 at 2:47 pm

Hi Taylor,

Thank you for your fast response.
I have tried with multiple cards (VISA and Mastercards) as well as paypal. None of them works with CONAF.
If you know a solution please let me know. Hope the website will be up soon

My plan is to do W-trek and start at Paine Grande. I will take the bus from Punta Natalas to Pudeto and take the ferry to start the trek.
Could I buy the entrance fee at the park? I have vouchers from fantasticosur and Vertice Patagonia.
Where can I get the entrance ticket? Laguna Amarga or Pudeto?

Donna

October 30, 2018 at 2:39 pm

Tent Sites on the W.
Hello Taylor, Your blog has been so helpful. Now that we are booked for campsites, (Family of 6), we are in the planning part. We will be there between Christmas and New Years and doing the W. We have 3 backpacking tents. I hear the wind can be high. Are the tent sites in a slightly protected space? Is it possible to tie down the tent stakes? Are the sites a first come first serve basis? Any info you could provide would be helpful on tent sites and weather.

Hey Donna. Some of the campsites along the W are sheltered, but I remember Paine Grande in particular, is not. Campsites are first come, first serve. And the wind in TdP is really serious! But if you stake your tent and have low-profile camping gear, you guys should be alright. If you’re worried about it, I recommend bringing along extra stakes to really get it secured. Hope you guys enjoy the family trip! Sounds awesome.

Karina

October 31, 2018 at 3:55 am

Hi Taylor,
My husband and I want to move only by car. We plan to sleep in the car or in a tent (may be near the hotel Lago Grey or Villa Serano or Salto Chiko) . Is it necessary to book an overnight stay if we are not going to go to the W-track or O-track?

Hey Karina. Gonna take a stab at your question, but not sure I understand fully. Are you planning to stay overnight, but you’d like to avoid booking one of the campsites? Since camping is so regulated, I doubt that car camping is allowed. You could look into reserving a spot at Torres Central or one of the sites on the bottom points of the W as they’re closest to the park entrance. Feel free to clarify and I’ll give a better answer!

Maggie Schneider

November 8, 2018 at 4:05 pm

Hi Taylor, I have an interesting situation and was wondering if you had any insight. I booked all my campsites for January but unfortunately misunderstood the Fantastico website. I was booking for myself and my soon-to-be husband and selected a single platform (no food or anything) but selected quantity at 1. I realize now that quantity was referring to number of people not number of platforms. So I have a platform but need to pay for the additional person. I emailed them but it seems replies are slow. Do you think it will be an issue to add him? Could we get away with just showing up if we are unable to get an answer and pay there?

Hey Maggie! The website is super confusing, I’m sure you’re not the only one in that situation! Since the single platform is indicative of the number of tents and not the number of people, I don’t think it should be an issue. I’d recommend printing out your reservation twice so you can show it at the checkpoints if necessary. As for food, some of the sites don’t allow cooking, so you might want to see if you can add board (or bring no-cook meals) for those nights. Hope this helps at least a bit, and good luck with your trip!